Automated egg injection machine and high precision delivery therefor

ABSTRACT

A pneumatically operated egg injection machine includes a sealed frame structure with a pair of in line parallel tracks through an injection section and a transfer section in series. An injection assembly over one parallel track includes a plurality of injectors gripped in a support plate to simultaneously inject vaccine into the same injection region irrespective of egg height and orientation. Fluid delivery systems meter prescribed vaccine dosages to the injecting needles with reduced turbulence, friction, heat and residence time to increase the delivered titer to the injected eggs. A transfer assembly includes a plurality of transfer suction cups which lift the injected eggs by causing a reduced pressure in a ring around the injection hole while maintaining the injection hole at atmospheric pressure, thus avoiding negative pressure in the egg. Once the eggs are lifted, the plate and suction cups move horizontally across the machine over to the other parallel track to deposit the injected eggs. All of the eggs are injected and transferred as a single group. The injection assembly is sprayed with a sanitizing solution at the same time that the injected eggs are moved from the injection section to the transfer section and the transfer assembly can transfer the eggs from the incubating tray to the hatching tray while the eggs in the next incubating tray are injected by the injecting assembly, thus increasing machine speed. The operation of the machine is controlled and monitored by a controller or computer with appropriate visual display monitor.

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The instant application is a continuation-in-part, division ofU.S. Ser. No. 09/949,900, filed Sep. 21, 2001, owned by the sameassignee as the instant application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a machine for theinjection of eggs, typically referred to as “in ovo” injection, and themethod performed in such egg injection. More specifically, the presentinvention is directed to a machine and method for the automatedinjection of various substances into eggs, especially live vaccines forthe control of diseases in chickens and other avian flocks. Inparticular, the present invention relates to high precision vaccinedelivery systems (HPVDS) and methods for automated egg injectionmachines as well as manifolds used in such delivery which can also beused in other delivery and removal systems.

[0004] 2. Prior Art

[0005] Advances in poultry embryology have made possible the addition ofvarious materials to the embryo or the environment around the embryowithin an avian egg for the purpose of encouraging beneficial effects inthe subsequently hatched chicks. The substances which may be addedinclude antimicrobials such as antibiotics, bactericides andsulfonamides; vitamins; enzymes; nutrients; organic salts; hormones;adjuvants; immune stimulators, probiotics and vaccines. This in ovoinjection technique can, for example, lead to an increased percentage ofhatch. The chicks from eggs that are injected prior hatch may retain asufficient amount of the injected substance so there is no need toinject the hatched bird. The chicks may grow faster and larger andexperience improvement in other physical characteristics. Additionally,certain types of vaccinations which could previously only be carried outupon either recently hatched or fully mature poultry can now besuccessfully delivered in the embryonated chick.

[0006] Thus, in ovo injection has become an effective means for diseaseprevention in avian flocks. In the poultry industry, a high incidence ofinfectious disease increases the cull rate and causes a high rate ofmortality during the growing stage of young birds. One example of theinfectious diseases is Marek's disease. It is a viral disease ofchickens resulting in a type of cancer, and is one of the most seriousthreats to poultry health. This virus lies latent in T-cells, which area type of white blood cells. T-cells are an integral part of the immunesystem response which is the bird's natural defense against disease.Within three weeks of infection, the fatal virus manifests as aggressivetumors in the spleen, liver, kidney, gonads, skin and muscle of theinfected bird.

[0007] It has been found that by proper selection of both the site andtime of inoculation, embryonic vaccination can be effective in thecontrol of poultry diseases. It is essential that the egg be injectedduring the final quarter of the incubation period, and that theinoculate be injected within either of the regions defined by the amnionor the yolk sac. Under these conditions, the embryo will favorablyrespond immunologically to the vaccine with no significant impairment ofits prenatal development.

[0008] A live cell-associated virus vaccine of tissue culture origintypically contains the Rispens strain, the SB1 strain of the chickenherpes-virus and the FC 126 HVT strain of the turkey herpes virus aloneor in combination. The vaccine is presented in glass ampules containingconcentrated vaccine, typically 1000 doses each, with a specified titerdefined as Plaque Forming Units (“PFUs”). The vaccine product is storedin a frozen condition typically in liquid nitrogen freezer and shippedin liquid nitrogen. A special sterile diluent is supplied in a separatepackage, typically a sealed plastic bag with appropriate injection portand delivery tube opening. The vaccine is reconstituted by thawing thefrozen vaccine in the glass ampule. The ampule is then broken open andthe liquid vaccine product is withdrawn from the ampule using a needleand syringe. The diluent is stored at room temperature until use whenthe concentrated vaccine product withdrawn from the ampule by the needleand syringe is then injected into the diluent contained in the sealedplastic bag through the bag injection port. The reconstituted vaccine isthen ready for delivery from the sealed bag through the delivery tube.

[0009] There are various factors that affect the level of PFUs deliveredby a live cell vaccine, such as Marek's vaccine, to an inoculatedspecimen. Most of these factors occur during the vaccine reconstitutionand in the delivery process. The factors which affect the level of PFUsdelivered to the egg have to do with vaccine handling, temperature,turbulence in the syringe, air pressure, friction, pH, vaccine deliverytube length, diameter and configuration, needle length and diameter,needle shape and delay in vaccine consumption after thawing. Eliminationor reduction of the adverse effects arising from these noted factorswould greatly improve the inoculation process for Marek's vaccine,specifically, and for live vaccines, generally.

[0010] The automated in ovo injection technique involves delivering avaccine in fluid form to the interior of an egg using an automatedmachine which delivers the vaccine to the egg through a needle. Theneedle can be used to both penetrate the egg shell and deliver the fluidsubstances, or the opening in the shell can be performed separately inadvance of the fluid injection. The egg can be injected at any locationwithin the egg, and even into the embryo itself. The suitability of aparticular location depends on the purpose for which the egg is beinginjected and the fluid substance delivered. Some substances must bedelivered to a particular location within the egg in order to beeffective. The problem with locating the needle at the appropriateinjection point is that eggs vary in size, thus varying the distancebetween the shell and the location at which delivery of the fluidsubstance is desired. A primary goal of automated in ovo injection is tobe able to handle a high egg volume in a short period of time whileconsistently delivering a correct amount of vaccine fluid to the desiredlocation within each of the eggs and without contaminating the eggs.

[0011] Typically, the eggs are incubated by the hatchery in anincubating tray placed in an incubator or setter machine. Afterinjection, the injected eggs must be transferred to a hatching tray tobe placed in the hatchers or hatching machine. Usually, the eggs fromtwo or more incubating trays are transferred to each hatching tray.Conventional incubating trays include the Chick Master® 54 tray, theJamesway® 42 tray, and the Jamesway® 84 tray (in each case, the numberindicates the number of eggs carried by the tray). The eggs from threeChick Master® 54 trays, or a total of 162 eggs, would be transferred toa single hatching tray; the eggs from four Jamesway® 42 trays, or atotal of 168 eggs, would be transferred to a single hatching tray; andthe eggs from two Jamesway® 84 trays, or a total of 168 eggs, would betransferred to a single hatching tray. There are some incubating trays,such as the La Nationale® incubating tray, which are sufficiently largeenough to include a total number of eggs, in this case 132 eggs, suchthat the eggs from a single incubating tray would be transferred to itscorresponding hatching tray.

[0012] Automated machines and methods for simultaneously injecting alarge number of eggs are known. In one well known commercial machine,the eggs in the incubating trays are brought under a bank of injectorswhich house both needles and punches. First, the punches open a hole inthe egg shell. Then, the needle is inserted into the egg through theopen hole, followed by injection of the fluid. The punch is necessarybecause the needle is long and thin and can not repeatedly punch eggshells without bending and/or clogging. This system is shown, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,063 to Hebrank. In another machine, suchas shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,877 B1, the injectors house a singleneedle which both punches the hole in the egg shell with a closed needleend and then delivers the fluid through a hole in the side of the needletip. There are drawbacks to both of these prior art needle systems.

[0013] There is another major drawback in the two known automatedmachines and methods in that they inject the eggs in the incubatingtrays in sequence, rather than all at one time. The injecting needlesmust then be sanitized after each injecting sequence. Hence, thesequential injection of the eggs slows down the overall operation of themachine. Equally important, the sanitizing solution remains on theundersurface of the injection assembly and/or needles as they move overto the next section of eggs to be injected. This allows the sanitizingsolution to drip onto the next group of eggs to be injected, thusraising potential contamination hazards.

[0014] Automated machines for simultaneously injecting eggs must alsoaddress the fact that eggs are not identical in size. In addition, theymust take into account the fact that the eggs may be slightly tiltedwith respect to the injectors when carried in the egg depressions of theincubating trays. Because the depressions are designed to accommodatethe varying sizes of eggs, the eggs are free to wobble in thedepression. The ability to accurately and precisely control the travelof a needle within the egg is diminished when the egg is tilted, evenwhere the relative vertical travel between the egg and the needle iscarefully controlled to account for differences in egg height.

[0015] Different methods have been used for dealing with the varying eggsize and egg position in the egg flat. In the aforesaid in ovoinoculating machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,063, the injectorsinclude a flexible cup at their lower end which serves to engage theeggshell for positioning prior to punching the hole and injecting thefluid or vaccine. One of the problems with this inoculating machine isthat the suction cups used to secure and transfer the eggs during andafter inoculation are right over the injection holes. Changes inpressure inside the egg can cause contamination in the eggs and an opensuction area in the mouth of the cup can cause contamination into thecups. Then the dark wet surface areas inside the cups become a goodplace for mold and bacteria to grow. Subsequent injections then infectthe subsequently injected eggs.

[0016] In the in ovo injecting machine of the other patent, U.S. Pat.No. 6,240,877 B1, the injectors include an articulating nesting cup atthe lower end, which has a frustoconical inner surface to engage theeggshell. Then, when the injector body is held in position by themachine, the nesting cup holds the egg in position for punching andinjecting the egg. One problem with this injector design is the largenumber of operating and moving parts which wear, fail, and/or becomesubject to fatigue, over time and must be repaired or replaced, withconsequent downtime of the machine.

[0017] Existing in ovo injection machines are also believed to bedamaging to live virus vaccines, such as Marek's vaccine, due to thedestruction of the live cells from the time that the concentratedvaccine is reconstituted with the diluent, transferred from the storagecontainer to the injectors through the machine tubing and passagewaysand finally delivered to the eggs through the injecting needles. Theresidence time of the reconstituted vaccine in the machine beforedelivery to the egg and the heat, friction and turbulence that thevaccine encounters as it moves through the machine from the storagecontainer and out through the injecting needle are all highlydetrimental to the live cells in known vaccines, particularly Marek'svaccine, and substantially reduce the PFUs which are delivered to theeggs through the injecting needles. It is believed that the known in ovoinjecting machines could reduce the level of PFUs delivered from theinjecting needles as much as 75%, and more, from the prescribed titerspecified by the vaccine manufacturer.

[0018] While it was known that length of delivery time, heat andturbulence could be detrimental to the live cell count of variousvaccines, including Marek's vaccine, it was not appreciated that thesefactors were causing significant live cell destruction in the in ovoinjecting machines commercially available. More specifically, it was notappreciated that residence time of the vaccine in the machine, or thelength of time the vaccine is subjected to heat in the machine, or thefriction imparted to the vaccine while traveling through the machine, orthe significant turbulence caused to the vaccine during the deliveryprocess, could all significantly reduce the live cell count, or the PFUsof the vaccine, including Marek's vaccine, in the automated delivery ofthe vaccine to the egg. Furthermore, it was not appreciated as importantthat an automated in ovo injecting machine should be designed to reducethe adverse effect of these factors, i.e. residence time, excess heat,friction and turbulence, on the live cell count of the vaccines.

[0019] Turning to other aspects of known automated in ovo injectionmachines, they typically include a transfer section in the machine,after egg injection, to transfer the injected eggs from the incubatingtrays to hatching trays. In one well known machine, flexible suctioncups, as disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,063, are used tolift the injected eggs from the incubating tray for transfer to thehatching tray. However, as pointed out previously, these flexiblesuction cups cause a likelihood that bacteria and mold will entersubsequent eggs, thus creating the possibility of cross-contamination,since the same suction cups are used repeatedly in creating a reducedpressure inside the eggs through the injection hole. Other type transferstations, or separate machines, are also known. Such separate transfermachines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,794 and 5,247,903. Onedrawback of these latter transfer machines is the possibility of eggbreakage as the eggs are rotated 180° from the incubating tray (or eggflat) into the hatching tray.

[0020] Furthermore, known commercial in ovo injection machines have theeggs going into the machine and coming out of the machine from the sameside of the machine or employ only a single tray track. Morespecifically, the operator places the incubating tray containing theeggs to be injected into the front end of the machine. After transfer ofthe injected eggs into the hatching tray, the filled hatching tray isremoved by the operator also from the front or side of the machine. Inmore modern facilities, it may be more desirable for the incubatingtrays with the eggs for injection to be inserted at the front end of themachine, and have the filled hatching tray removed from the opposite orrear end of the machine. Such a through machine would permit the filledincubating tray and empty hatching tray to be loaded in a side-by-siderelation at the front end of the machine, the trays to move parallelin-line through the machine, and the empty incubating tray and filledhatching tray after transfer to move away from the rear end of themachine by automatic operation. Such a design would allow the injectionmachine to operate more quickly and with less labor.

[0021] In addition to the foregoing, the known commercial automated inovo injecting machines have a large number of mechanically operatingcomponents which are subject to wear, fatigue and failure during thelong operating hours of the machine, thus requiring constant repair andreplacement. The machine designs are also such as to allow dir, airbornecontaminants, broken egg particles, etc. to collect in cracks, crevicesand corners, which are not readily susceptible to cleaning or powerwashing. This contaminant accumulation can cause sanitation problemsduring the process of injecting the eggs under high speeds and over longhours of use.

[0022] For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an automatedinjecting apparatus and method for simultaneously injecting eggs whichare less labor-intensive than known systems, which can lend themselvesto automated conveyor systems and which can be kept clean and free ofdebris collecting corners and crevices. The apparatus should handle ahigh volume of eggs with a high level of precision with respect to boththe location and quality of vaccine delivered. The apparatus and methodshould also reduce the residence time of the vaccine in the machineprior to injection into the egg, reduce the amount of heat to which thevaccine is subjected prior to injection, reduce the friction to whichthe vaccine is subjected in the machine, and reduce the turbulencecreated in the vaccine during its passage from the vaccine delivery bagthrough the machine apparatus, tubing and needle and into the egg.

[0023] Ideally, fluid delivery should be quick, gentle and precise so asnot to damage live vaccine cells. The apparatus design and overallmethod of operation should be sanitary so as to minimize, if noteliminate, cross-contamination and allow for good machine cleanability.The machine design should also minimize operating mechanical parts andfacilitate both manufacture and operation, thus reducing manufacturing,operating and maintenance costs as compared to known machines andmethods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0024] In view of the foregoing drawbacks in known automated in ovoinjection machines, the present invention provides an in line paralleltrack egg injection apparatus and method for in ovo injection thatovercomes drawbacks in known machines. The injection apparatus of thepresent invention provides a method for simultaneously injecting a largenumber of eggs with a desired vaccine fluid at a predetermined locationwithin the egg and with a higher delivered quality of vaccine than knownmachines.

[0025] The present invention is particularly adapted for use withconventional incubating trays or egg carriers often referred to as “eggflats.” By using the normal incubating tray or egg flat, the presentinvention eliminates the need to transfer the eggs into specialinjection trays. As described above, the eggs from one to four, or more,incubating trays are to be injected and transferred for each hatchingtray. The injection apparatus and method of the present inventioncontemplates that all of the eggs necessary for a single hatching traybe injected at one time in the incubating tray or trays, whether it bethree Chick Master® 54 trays, four Jamesway® 42 trays, two Jamesway® 84trays, or a single La Nationale® tray. Hatcheries often place theappropriate number of incubating trays carrying the total eggs necessaryfor transfer onto a single hatching tray on an egg flat carrier, or “eggflat”, which positions the incubating trays in proper longitudinalalignment. As used herein, therefore, the term “incubating tray” isintended to include an appropriate number of incubating trays, whetherone, two, three, four or more sufficient to fill one hatching tray, sothat the eggs are simultaneously injected and the hatching tray is thenfilled all at one time during a single injection and transfer cycle inaccordance with the present invention.

[0026] The injection apparatus of the present invention includes anupright rigid frame which divides the machine longitudinally, or in themachine direction, into two sections, an injection section and atransfer section. The injection section comprises generally the fronthalf of the machine and the transfer section comprises generally therear half of the machine. The frame also includes a generallyrectangular horizontal support structure which defines two spacedside-by-side parallel in-line tracks divided by a center guide. Theparallel in-line tracks and center guide extend longitudinally throughthe machine and are approximately waist high in the vertical height ofthe machine. The parallel tracks are designed to receive and transportthe incubating trays and hatching trays in a generally parallelside-by-side relationship through the injection and transfer sections ofthe machine. The tracks and center guide thus divide the machine in thetransverse, or cross-machine, direction generally into two sides, aright side and a left side, as one faces the machine at the front end.In a preferred embodiment, the incubating trays travel the track on themachine right side and the hatching trays travel the track on themachine left side.

[0027] Each parallel track includes a pair of parallel guide rails oneach side to support the incubating and hatching trays. The inside guiderail on each track is integral with or supported on the center guide.The outside guide rail of the incubating tray track is movable laterallyto clamp the tray in position laterally in each of the injection andtransfer sections during the injection and transfer sequences. Eachparallel track also includes a tray positioning assembly to move thetrays longitudinally along their respective parallel tracks. Hence, theincubating trays with the eggs for injection are inserted into themachine along the right side or incubating tray track and empty hatchingtrays are inserted into the machine on the left side or hatching traytrack both from the front end of the machine. Once the incubating traywith the eggs for injection is inserted onto the right side track, theassociated tray positioning assembly positions the tray longitudinallyagainst a retractable stop which extends out of the center guide. Themovable outer guide rail is then moved inwardly to clamp the tray in theprescribed position in the injection section.

[0028] At the injection section is an injection assembly supported onthe machine frame structure over the incubating tray track carrying theeggs to be injected. As stated above, the injection section ispositioned toward the front end of the machine so that filled incubatingtrays entering the machine first pass through the injection section. Theinjector assembly includes a generally horizontal injector support andholding plate and a series of individual injectors which are eachseparately supported in a pattern of holes or openings in the supportplate. In accordance with the present invention, all of the eggs in theincubating tray are injected by the injector assembly at one time and,hence, there are an equal number of holes or openings in the supportplate as there are eggs to be injected in the incubating tray. Theopenings then vertically align the injectors with all of the eggs, oneinjector over each egg, in the incubating tray. The plate is supportedfrom a pair of vertically actuating pneumatic cylinders spaciallymounted on a longitudinally extending, stationary bridge structure whichis mounted on the machine frame. When the pneumatic cylinders move theinjector support plate downwardly, and the bottom of each injectorengages its aligned egg, each individual injector can move verticallyupward in its support plate opening to adjust for varying heights of theeggs.

[0029] The vertically movable injectors include an injector body orhousing which carries the injecting needle assembles. The needleassembly includes a single needle for both egg shell penetration andfluid injection thereby eliminating the need for a separate punch. Asoft egg engaging nipple is attached on the lowermost end of eachinjector housing. The egg engaging nipple of the instant inventionpresents a much smaller circular contact area to the egg, on the orderof less than about one-half inch diameter, and preferably aboutthree-eights inch, than the contact area of injectors of known machines.This small contact area better accommodates the varying sizes of eggsand egg tilt encountered when the eggs are positioned on the incubatingtrays. Each injector and its associated needle are designed so that theneedle extends into the same injection region irrespective of the sizeand orientation of the egg.

[0030] Once the injection assembly reaches it lowermost position, andthe engaging nipples of all injectors are in contact with their alignedeggs, the injectors are pneumatically clamped into their respectiveplate openings at each individual injector height as dictated by thesize and orientation of each individual egg. All of the eggs are theninjected simultaneously by pneumatically operating the injection needleassembly within the injector housing to extend the injection needlewhich punches each of the egg shells and extends into the designatedinjection region. The controller or computer then signals the vaccinedelivery system to deliver a prescribed quantity of vaccine through theneedles and into the eggs. The needle assemblies and needles are thenpneumatically retracted back into the injector housings, and the supportplate is lifted by the pneumatic cylinders carrying with it theplurality of injectors.

[0031] Once the eggs in the incubating tray are injected and theinjector assembly lifted off the eggs, the clamping outer rail isreleased and the incubating tray with the injected eggs is moved on itsrails to the back half of the machine underneath a transfer assembly atthe transfer section. The incubating tray is moved from the injectionsection to the transfer section by the tray positioning assembly orpusher assembly which pushes the incubator tray in its track in responseto completion of the egg injection. The incubator tray reaches itsproper longitudinal position on the right side track when the tray'sfront end engages another retractable stop at the rear end of themachine which extends out of the center guide. The movable outer guiderail of the transfer section is then moved inwardly to clamp theincubating tray in the prescribed location in the transfer section. Theinjected eggs are then in position for transfer by the transferassembly.

[0032] The transfer assembly is supported by a rectangular supportstructure mounted on the machine frame, which extends over both theincubating tray track and the hatching tray track. The transfer assemblyincludes a support plate having a pattern of holes or opening whichvertically align with each injected egg in the incubating tray. Thetransfer support plate is supported from a pair of vertically actuatingpneumatic cylinders spacially mounted on a longitudinally extendingbridge structure, similar to the injection section bridge structure, butthe transfer section bridge structure is designed to move horizontally,or transversely, across the machine within the rectangular supportstructure. Hence, the transfer assembly is capable of being positioneddirectly over the incubating tray containing the injected eggs on theright hand track and a hatching tray on the left hand track.

[0033] Vertically supported or mounted in each support plate hole is aunique transfer suction cup assembly which can engage each eggindependently as the support plate is lowered onto the injected eggs inthe incubating tray and adjust for egg size variation and orientation.The transfer suction cup assembly is designed to pneumatically applysuction for gripping the egg at a location away from the injection hole.More specifically, the transfer suction cup assembly of the presentinvention grips the egg in a vacuum ring which surrounds the injectionhole, while leaving the injection hole at atmospheric pressure. As such,the suction cup assembly of the present invention is not creatingreduced pressure inside the egg, and the potential for contamination ofthe suction cup assembly and cross-contamination of the eggs issubstantially reduced.

[0034] After the transfer suction cup assemblies grip the injected eggsin the incubating tray, the pneumatic cylinders lift the support plate,thus lifting all of the transfer suction cup assemblies and the grippedeggs out of the incubating tray. Once the pneumatic cylinders completetheir upstroke, a transverse pneumatic cylinder moves the moving bridgestructure of the transfer assembly, together with the support plate,suction cup assemblies and gripped eggs, horizontally across the machineinto overlying relation with the hatching tray track and the emptyhatching tray positioned on the rails thereof. The vertically actingpneumatic cylinders lower the support plate so that the eggs engage thebottom of the hatching tray. The pneumatic suction in the transfersuction cups then is released, thus releasing the injected eggs into thehatching tray. The support plate with the suction cup assemblies is thenraised to its up position and returned laterally by the transversepneumatic cylinder to its starting position above the incubator traytrack to repeat the transfer operation.

[0035] Supported on the tray positioning or pusher assembly is asanitizing assembly in alignment with the injector assembly. Thesanitizing assembly is equipped to spray sanitizing solution on theunderneath side of the injectors and extended needles after each egginjecting cycle. The sanitizing assembly sprays the solution upwardlyonto the underneath side of the injection assembly, and a pan collectsthe used solution after it drips off the underneath side of the needles(which are retracted after sanitizing), the injectors and the injectorsupport plate. The engaging nipple at the bottom of each injector alsoengages the outside wall of its associated needle and serves as a wiperas the needle is retracted into the injector housing. A clean injectionenvironment is thus maintained since all egg-contacting surfaces aresanitized after each injection cycle. This minimizes the potential forcross-contamination of the eggs.

[0036] Further, the injection machine of the present inventionpreferably is equipped with a hand held spray wand and nozzle as anintegral part of the machine. The spray wand and nozzle are separatelyconnected to the sanitizing solution and/or water containers so thatcomponents of the machine can be sanitized if broken or exploded eggs orthe like contaminate components of the machine. The sanitizing and/orcleaning operation can be carried out without having to shut down themachine which would occur if the dirtied or contaminated areas arecleaned by hand.

[0037] The machine frame includes a lower shelf to support containersfor the sanitizing solution, the various cleaning solutions, water andother machine components. The frame also supports a control cabinetwhich houses the controller or computer. The control panel is preferableabove the left side or hatching tray track laterally across from theinjection section in the front half of the machine. Further, the controlcabinet is preferably under a slight head pressure, as by exhausting airfrom the pneumatic cylinders into the control cabinet. Pressurizing thecontrol cabinet serves to prevent airborne contamination and moisturefrom entering the cabinet.

[0038] In accordance with an earlier embodiment of the in ovo injectionmachine of the present invention, the vaccine delivery system comprisesa heart-type valve pump and a modular distribution manifold, both ofwhich are pneumatically operated. This system moves the vaccine from thedelivery bag or other vaccine storage container through the machinetubing and delivers a consistently sized quantity of vaccine to eachegg. The pneumatically operated valve pump moves the vaccine with aminimum of friction and turbulence. The pump valve chamber is divided bya flexible pump membrane into a vaccine valve chamber and an airpressure chamber. By pneumatically drawing air out of the air pressurechamber and moving the flexible membrane to expand the volume of thevaccine chamber, the valve pump initially suctions vaccine from thedelivery bag and into the vaccine valve chamber. Then, when theinjection needles have pierced the egg shell, air is forced back intothe air pressure chamber, pneumatically actuating the valve membrane toforce a prescribed quantity of vaccine into the distribution manifold.As the valve injects a prescribed quantity of the vaccine into thedistribution manifold, a precise quantity of vaccine fluid is forced outof each needle port into the respective egg interior. Preferable, thereare two modular distribution manifolds and associated heart-type valvepumps which are mounted longitudinally on the machine frame, one on eachside of the injection assembly so that the hose distance between eachmanifold outlet port and the vaccine inlet to the needle of eachinjector is maintained at a minimum.

[0039] Subsequently, high precision vaccine delivery systems (HPVDS)have been developed. The high precision vaccine delivery systems inaccordance with the present invention maintain maximum vaccine stabilityand assure precise reproducible dosing for each needle. In particular,the high precision vaccine delivery systems of the present inventionutilize a unique valve distribution manifold incorporating pneumaticpressure and a series of pneumatically operated delivery valves whichdeliver the vaccine with a minimum of friction and turbulence.

[0040] In a first version, the valve distribution manifold includes anelongated main body section, and mating elongated back and top bodysections. The elongated main body section contains a vaccine chamber andhas an elongated opening in its back wall. The elongated back bodysection defines a low pressure air chamber and has an elongated openingin its front wall which mates with the elongated opening in the backwall of the main body section. A flexible diaphragm is positionedbetween the elongated openings and segregates the vaccine chamber fromthe low pressure air chamber. The elongated top section defines a highpressure air chamber which pneumatically operates the series ofpneumatic delivery valves to control the flow of vaccine from thevaccine chamber to the individual manifold outlet ports which feed theinjection needles. Again, two valve distribution manifolds arepreferably positioned longitudinally on the machine frame, one on eachside of the injection assembly.

[0041] A vaccine receiving valve, preferably on one end of thedistribution manifold, initially opens to allow the vaccine to flowgently by gravity from the delivery bag or storage container into themanifold vaccine chamber. Once it is full, the receiving valve ispneumatically closed to isolate the vaccine chamber from the externalgravity pressure produced by the raised position of the delivery bagversus the vaccine chamber. When the injection needles have pierced theegg shell, the low pressure air chamber is pressurized to push theflexible diaphragm evenly along the elongated mated openings, whichincreases the hydraulic pressure in the vaccine chamber and manifoldmain body section. Then by releasing the high pressure from theindividual vaccine delivery valves for a predetermined amount of time, aprecise volume of vaccine fluid is delivered from each outlet port intothe needles and then into the respective egg cavity. By varying thepredetermined amount of time that the vaccine delivery valves arereleased to the open position, the volume of vaccine fluid delivered byeach needle into its respective egg cavity can be easily adjusted.

[0042] In a second version, the valve distribution manifold includes anelongated main body section or valve body, and mating front and backhigh pressure and low pressure/vacuum manifolds and a top cover. Anelongated vaccine distribution cavity is formed in the top of the mainbody section or valve body, which cavity is closed by the top cover toform a vaccine reservoir. Individual vaccine feed passageways extendvertically downwardly from the vaccine distribution cavity through thevalve body to the vaccine delivery ports. Located along each individualvaccine feed passageway is a vaccine dosage chamber formed in a sidewall of the valve body. The vaccine dosage chambers are closed by anelongated flexible diaphragm held in position against the side of thevalve body by the mating low pressure/vacuum manifold.

[0043] Also interrupting each individual vaccine feed passageway areupper and lower high pressure pneumatic cone valves, positioned aboveand below the vaccine dosage chamber, which control, first, the flow ofvaccine from the vaccine distribution cavity into the vaccine dosagechamber and, second, cause a precise quantity of vaccine from thevaccine dosage chamber into the lower portion of the passageway towardthe individual manifold outlet ports which feed the injection needles.With the system filled with vaccine, the insertion of a precise quantityinto the passageway from the dosage chamber causes a like precisequantity to be injected by the needle into the egg.

[0044] An opening in the cover, preferably at one end of thedistribution manifold, allows the vaccine to flow from the vaccinedelivery bag or storage container into the vaccine delivery distributioncavity or reservoir as vaccine is drawn therefrom by operation of thedelivery manifold.

[0045] The manifold can be operated in reverse simply by altering thecomputer program which controls operation of the manifold. Liquids canbe drawn into the manifold dosage chambers through the manifold outletports, and then pumped into and out of the reservoir by operation of theflexible diaphragm.

[0046] In vaccine delivery operation, the upper and lower high pressurepneumatic cone valves are initially closed, thus preventing movement ofvaccine from the vaccine distribution reservoir or through theindividual vaccine feed passageways and vaccine dosage chambers. At thebeginning of each cycle, the upper pneumatic cone valves are opened,while the lower pneumatic cone valves remain closed. A vacuum pressureis applied to the portion of the flexible diaphragm opposite eachvaccine dosage chamber by the low pressure/vacuum manifold which causesvaccine to be sucked into the vaccine dosage chambers through the upperportion of individual vaccine feed passageways from the vaccinedistribution reservoir. When the vaccine dosage chambers are filled, theprecise quantity of vaccine to be injected during each cycle is thusmetered by the volume of each vaccine dosage chamber. The upperpneumatic cone valves are then closed and the lower pneumatic conevalves are opened. Low pressure is then applied to the portion of theflexible diaphragm opposite each vaccine dosage chamber to force thevaccine in the chambers through the lower portion of the individualvaccine passageways past the lower pneumatic cone valves and out theindividual manifold outlet ports. As described before, two valvedistribution manifolds are preferably positioned longitudinally on themachine frame, one on each side of the injection assembly to supply onehalf of the injectors of the injection assembly.

[0047] It has been found that the HPVDS and method according to thissecond version improves the accuracy of the vaccine dosage delivered toeach of the injection needles, over repeated cycles, both as to dosagequantity to the same injection needles and dosage quantities over theentire series of injection needles served by the manifold for eachcycle. The flexible diaphragm operates as a pump or miniature syringefor each vaccine dosage chamber and maintains a positive pressure at theend of each needle, thus minimizing contamination.

[0048] As mentioned hereinabove, the design of the second versionpermits the manifold assembly to be reversible so that a high precisionquantity of liquid can be drawn into the manifold through each of theoutlet ports. More specifically, by keeping the upper pneumatic conevalves closed and opening the lower pneumatic cone valves a vacuumpressure on the side of the flexible diaphragm opposite the vaccinedosage chambers will cause a precise quantity of liquid (or gas if thesystem is not already filled with liquid) to be drawn up into themanifold assembly. Then, with the upper valves open and the lower valvesclosed, a positive pressure on the flexible diaphragm will cause acorresponding quantity of liquid (or gas) to be pumped into thereservoir, as well as out of the reservoir through the cavity opening toa storage container or the like. Once liquid has been removed frommultiple receptacles, the manifold assembly will allow the liquid to beredeposited simultaneously where desired in other individual receptaclesor containers. This operation allows a precise uniform dosage of liquidto be withdrawn simultaneously from a large number of receptacles orcontainers and then redeposited simultaneously where desired in otherindividual receptacles or containers.

[0049] The high precision vaccine delivery systems and methods of thepresent invention also eliminate the pumping of vaccine throughconventional vaccine-handling systems and offer both precise andcell-safe vaccine delivery. Few or virtually no live cells are destroyedin the delivery, ensuring that an effective quantity of vaccine titerreaches each injected egg. In addition, the HPDVS assemblies of thisinvention have the vaccine delivery ports as integral components of themanifold assembly; they are one piece. Hence, the outlet barb fittingswhich can be an area for bacteria collection, such as used in the priorart and earlier distribution manifold assembly disclosed herein (FIGS.25-28), are eliminated.

[0050] The high precision delivery assemblies of the present inventioncombined with the unique needle configuration and short hose lengthensure that a positive liquid pressure is maintained at the tip of theneedle during egg piercing (punching) and vaccine injection by eachneedle. This positive pressure not only serves to minimize and clear anyneedle clogging but also ensures a hydraulic pressure on the vaccineduring injection should the needle tip be in contact the embryo at timeof injection.

[0051] Further, it has been found that air can build up in thehorizontally positioned vaccine delivery manifold of commercial machinesand that this air build up can interfere with delivering a precisevaccine quantity through the injection needles. Surprisingly, the airbuild up in the manifold can be avoided if the manifold is tiltedapproximately 1°-2°, or more, off the horizontal. Preferably, themanifold is tilted upwardly away from the inlet and toward the outerend, such that the inlet end is lower than the outer end. Any entrappedair will hence travel to the outer end, where it can be readily bled offas necessary. In the high precision vaccine delivery assemblies andmethods of the present invention, a pneumatically operated vaccinepurging valve is mounted at the end of the distribution manifoldopposite from the end receiving the vaccine. As such, the vaccinepurging valve can be conveniently opened to purge the manifold of air asdesired.

[0052] The injecting needles in the injectors of the present inventionare specially designed to reduce friction and turbulence in accordancewith the teaching of our copending application, U.S. Ser. No.09/835,482, filed Apr. 17, 2001, owned by the same assignee as theinstant application. Specifically, the needles are shorter, i.e. lessthan 7 inches in length, have a larger diameter, i.e. 22 gauge or less,and a specially shaped entry opening. The vaccine delivery systems havealso been designed to reduce friction, turbulence and residence time ofthe vaccine in the machine. Similarly, the machine has been designed,and the components arranged, so as to shorten tubing length andeliminate T-connections, thus again reducing friction and turbulence inthe vaccine and its residence time in the machine.

[0053] The vertically movable injectors for injecting vaccine substancesinto the eggs in accordance with the present invention are also uniquelydesigned to have a minimum of moving parts. An injection needle assemblyis moveable between a retracted needle position and an extended needleinjecting position by pneumatic pressure. The needle assembly includes acylindrical piston surrounding the needle which moves in a generallyvertical cylinder inside the injector body. Pneumatic pressure is thenselectively fed to the cylinder, on either side of the needle piston, todrive the needle in either direction, extended or retracted.

[0054] The injection machine in accordance with present invention alsoincludes a device to monitor the quantity of vaccine remaining in thevaccine supply bag and feed a continuous signal based thereon to thecentral computer of the machine for analysis. The machine also measuresthe length of time the bag has been in use on the machine since extendedtime can adversely affect the titer of the remaining vaccine. Thecomputer then provides the operator with real time information to alertthe operator when the vaccine delivery bag should be replaced, as wellas to calculate the total vaccine used after each injection cycle todetermine whether the proper dosage has been administered. If thecalculations vary outside an established variance, the computer notifiesthe operator of the error.

[0055] As evident from the foregoing, after injection, when theincubating tray containing the injected eggs is moved to the transfersection of the machine, a empty hatching tray is similarly moving in itsparallel track to the transfer section. While the eggs in the nextincubating tray are being injected at the injection section, the alreadyinjected eggs in the incubating tray at the transfer section are beingtransferred by the transfer assembly to the empty hatching tray.Accordingly, the injected eggs in a first incubator tray at the transfersection can have the eggs transferred to a hatching tray, while a secondegg flat containing eggs to be injected can be injected at the injectionsection. As the next trays are inserted into the front of the machine,the now empty incubating tray from which the injected eggs have beentransferred to the hatching tray and the filled hatching tray are movedout of the rear end of the machine.

[0056] The in ovo injection machine of the present invention has beendesigned so that the empty incubating tray and filled hatching tray canbe automatically off-loaded from the rear of the machine onto automaticconveyor(s). Thus, the machine requires only a single operator at thefront of the machine to load filled incubator trays with the eggs to beinjected on one parallel track and an empty hatching tray on the otheradjacent parallel track. Alternatively, the parallel trays could beloaded by automatic conveyors or appropriate loading systems. Themachine then sequentially moves both trays in parallel tracks, first tothe injection section for injecting the eggs in the filled incubatingtray, then second to the transfer section for transfer of the injectedeggs from the incubating tray to the empty hatching tray, and thereafterboth the empty incubating tray and the filled hatching tray can beremoved by an operator or off-loaded to takeaway conveyors at the backend of the machine. Thus, labor can be reduced from known machines andmethods while at the same time improving output speed.

[0057] It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatedin ovo injection machine and method which includes two spacedside-by-side parallel in-line longitudinal tracks which support andguide incubating trays and hatching trays through the machine from thefront to the back, first to an injection section and then to a transfersection. The parallel in-line longitudinal tracks in accordance with themachine of the present invention permit the machine to be utilized withautomated off loading conveyors, as well as automated feeding conveyors.If manual labor is utilized, only a single operator is required for thefront end of the machine and a single operator for the rear or back ofthe machine, and each handles a similar loading and unloading operation,i.e. one egg filled tray and one empty tray, thereby facilitating thetiming of their activities.

[0058] Another object of the present invention is to provide an in ovoinjection machine in accordance with the preceding object in which thefilled incubating tray and empty hatching tray are inserted onto theparallel in-line longitudinal tracks through the front of the machineand pass to the injection section where all of the eggs aresimultaneously injected at one time so as to speed up the operation ofthe machine and reduce the dripping of sanitizing solution on the nextgroup of eggs to be injected.

[0059] A further object of the present invention is to provide an in ovoinjection machine in accordance with the preceding objects in which theincubating tray with the injected eggs and the empty hatching tray areautomatically transported along the parallel in-line tracks to atransfer section where the injected eggs are transferred by a transferassembly, first upwardly out of the incubating tray, then horizontallyacross the machine, and finally downwardly into the hatching tray. Theempty incubating tray and filled hatching tray are then off loaded fromthe back of the machine.

[0060] It is another object of the present invention to provide anautomated in ovo injection machine and method which are fullypneumatically operated for all moving parts and vaccine delivery, thusavoiding the necessity of electric motors and/or hydraulic pumps,components and circuits which can cause undesired vaccine turbulence,friction and heat. By eliminating pumps, the vaccine is subjected to lowinternal line pressure which leads to minimized hydraulic shear, fluidturbulence, friction and cell destruction.

[0061] A still further object of the present invention is to provide aninjection machine and method in accordance with the preceding objectsand which are controller or computer operated and controlled withappropriate visual display monitor and control signals to fully informthe operator regarding the operation of the machine, including anymalfunctions or other unknown misoperation.

[0062] It is still another object of the present invention to provide aninjection machine and method which include a vaccine monitoring systemto monitor the quantity of vaccine remaining in the vaccine delivery bagand the time in operation in order to give the operator advance warningthat the vaccine delivery bag should be replaced, and also monitor theamount of vaccine injected into the eggs during each injection sequenceto verify the correct dosage size.

[0063] Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an inovo injecting machine and method which incorporate a sealed machineframe made from similar size and shape components, such as squarestainless steel stock, and with all connections made by welding, so asto eliminate cracks and crevices and openings where particles cancollect and bacteria grow, thus reducing contamination and facilitatingmachine washing.

[0064] Still a further object of the present invention is to provide anin ovo injection machine and method which incorporate an improved designfor vaccine flow in order to reduce friction, turbulence, heat andmachine residence time, including an arranging of the components toreduce distances (and thereby reduce hose length) and eliminateT-connections, an elimination of pumping of the vaccine and a utilizingof injecting needles which are shorter, have a larger diameter andspecially shaped entry opening.

[0065] Yet another object in accordance with the present invention is toprovide a pneumatically-operated heart-type valve pump and modularvaccine delivery system for an in ovo injecting machine which reducesthe friction, turbulence, heat and residence time imparted to thevaccine by the machine.

[0066] It is a further object in accordance with the present inventionto provide a high precision, pneumatically-operated vaccine deliveryassembly and method for an in ovo injection machine which introducevirtually no turbulence and friction to a vaccine, thus destroying fewor virtually no live cells and insuring that an effective quantity ofvaccine titer reaches each injected egg, as well as delivering a preciseadjustable volume of vaccine to each needle.

[0067] Another object of the present invention is to provide a highprecision vaccine delivery assembly in which the basic components of theassembly are one piece so that the vaccine outlet ports are integralwith the vaccine outlet passageway, and separate barb fittings areeliminated.

[0068] It is yet a further object in accordance with the presentinvention to provide a high precision vaccine delivery assembly andmethod in accordance with the preceding object in which the assembly andmethod deliver the vaccine with a sufficient force to clear any materialwhich may have inadvertently been entrained on the needle tip duringpunching.

[0069] Still a further object of the present invention is to provide ahigh precision vaccine delivery assembly and method in accordance withthe preceding object in which the assembly and method ensure a positivepressure on the vaccine at the needle tip to minimize clogging andmalfunction during egg punching and vaccine injection.

[0070] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide ahigh precision vaccine delivery assembly and method in accordance withthe present invention which has other applications besides in ovoinjection machines, such as filling multiple vials in pharmaceutical orbiological research or vaccine production, etc.

[0071] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a highprecision delivery assembly and method which delivers a preciseadjustable volume of liquid out of the delivery ports.

[0072] A further object of the present invention is to provide a highprecision delivery assembly and method which is also reversible and canbe used to withdraw a precise adjustable volume of vaccine or otherliquid from multiple individual receptacles into and through themanifold assembly to a large receptacle for storage or simply totransfer the separately withdrawn volumes to other multiple individualreceptacles.

[0073] It is another object of the present invention to provide aninjection machine and method in which air entrapped in the vaccinedelivery manifold of the vaccine delivery assembly is collected at oneend of the manifold by tilting the manifold approximately 1°-2°, ormore, off horizontal, and periodically purging the collected air fromthe higher end of the manifold.

[0074] It is still a further object of the present invention to providean injection machine and method which include an improved injectionassembly support plate to pneumatically hold each injector in itsindividually selected position determined by the size and orientation ofits respective contacted egg.

[0075] It is still another object in accordance with the presentinvention to provide an improved injector for an in ovo injectionmachine which can accommodate a shorter needle and has a minimum ofmoving parts, thus reducing wear and fatigue and ultimate replacement,and operates pneumatically to move the needle in both directions,extended and retracted. Further, the improved injector allows the needleto inject the vaccine into the approximate center of rotation of theegg, thus injecting into the same egg region regardless of eggorientation in the incubating tray.

[0076] Still a further object in accordance with the present inventionis to provide an improved injector and injecting needle in accordancewith the preceding object and in which the needle is shorter in lengthand larger in diameter to reduce turbulence and friction while at thesame time punching the injection hole without bending or clogging, thuseliminating the necessity for a separate punch or delivering the vaccinethrough needle side holes with a closed needle end for punching.

[0077] It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide aninjection machine and method in which all of the eggs for one hatchingtray can be injected at an injection section and the injected eggs foranother hatching tray can be transferred to an empty hatching trayhorizontally across the machine at approximately the same time to speedup and simplify the operation of the machine and method.

[0078] It is yet another object in accordance with the present inventionto provide an improved suction cup assembly for an in ovo injectionmachine and method for transferring injected eggs which utilizes avacuum suction ring to pick up and hold the injected eggs, maintainsatmospheric pressure at the penetration hole and does not create anynegative pressure on the inside of the egg, thus reducing the potentialfor contamination of the suction cup and cross-contamination of theeggs.

[0079] Still a further object of the present invention is to provide aninjection machine and method in which the tray positioning or pusherassembly which pushes the incubator tray from the injection section tothe transfer section supports one or more sanitizing nozzles that spraysanitizing and other solutions upwardly onto the underneath side of theinjection assembly (with the needles extended) so that all of thecontacting surfaces of the injection assembly are sanitized after eachinjection sequence and at the same time as the incubating tray withinjected eggs is moved from the injection section to the transfersection.

[0080] Still yet another object of the present invention is to providean injection machine and method in accordance with the preceding objectsand which utilizes pneumatic pressure to pressurize the sanitizing andcleaning solutions, water and other liquids in their respectivecontainers to cause liquid flow when an appropriate valve is opened,thus eliminating all liquid pumps and the like from the machine.

[0081] Still yet a further object of the present invention is to providean injection machine equipped with a hand held spray wand and nozzleseparately connected to the solution and water containers so that brokenor exploded eggs and the like can be washed down out of the underlyingdrain pans or otherwise off the machine frame and components, asdesired.

[0082] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aninjection machine in accordance with the preceding objects and whichwill conform to conventional forms of manufacture and will beeconomically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free inoperation.

[0083] These together with other objects and advantages which willbecome subsequently apparent reside in the details of constructions andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084]FIG. 1 is a right front perspective view of an injection machinein accordance with the present invention, with certain componentsomitted;

[0085]FIG. 2 is a left front perspective view of the injection machineof FIG. 1, with certain components omitted;

[0086]FIG. 3 is a left rear perspective view of the injection machine ofFIG. 1, with certain components omitted;

[0087]FIG. 4 is a right rear perspective view of the injection machineof FIG. 1, with certain components omitted;

[0088]FIG. 5 is an enlarged right side perspective view of the frontportion of the injection machine of FIG. 1, with certain componentsomitted, illustrating the injection section;

[0089]FIG. 6 is an enlarged right side perspective view of the rearportion of the injection machine of FIG. 1, with certain componentsomitted, illustrating the transfer section;

[0090]FIG. 7 is an enlarged front perspective view of the injectionmachine of FIG. 1, with certain components omitted, illustrating theinjection assembly and side-by-side parallel incubating tray track andhatching tray track;

[0091]FIG. 8 is a front plan view of the injection machine of FIG. 1,with certain components omitted;

[0092]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the left side of the injectionmachine of FIG. 1, illustrating the control panel and transfer section;

[0093]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the injection machine of FIG. 1;

[0094]FIG. 11 is a schematic top plan view of the in line incubating andhatching tray tracks of the injection machine of FIG. 1, illustratingthe location of the fiber optic sensors and retractable stops in thecenter guide and inside guide rails;

[0095]FIG. 12A is a top plan view of a conventional incubating tray;

[0096]FIG. 12B is a side view of the incubating tray of FIG. 12A;

[0097]FIG. 13A is a top plan view of a conventional hatching tray;

[0098]FIG. 13B is a side view of the hatching tray of FIG. 13A;

[0099]FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of the tray positioning orpusher assembly and the sanitization sprayer assembly used in themachine and method of the present invention;

[0100]FIG. 15 is a front partial perspective view of the pusher andsanitization sprayer assemblies of FIG. 14;

[0101]FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the injector support plate for usein accordance with the present invention, illustrating a plurality ofopenings or holes for receiving the plurality of injectors and apneumatic circuit which controls the gripping or holding of theinjectors in the openings;

[0102]FIG. 17 is a partial perspective top view of the bottom half-plateof the injector support plate of FIG. 16, illustrating a plurality ofgripper rings positioned in the plate openings in accordance with thepresent invention;

[0103]FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view taken along section line 18-18in FIG. 16;

[0104]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of one of the plurality of gripperrings which engage the outer wall of the injector body whenpneumatically expanded in accordance with the present invention;

[0105]FIG. 20 illustrates an injecting needle for the machine and methodof the present invention, showing an improved top end for connecting tothe vaccine tubing to reduce friction and turbulence;

[0106]FIG. 20A is an enlargement of the injecting needle top illustratedin FIG. 20;

[0107]FIG. 21 and 21A illustrate an alternate top end for the injectingneedle used in accordance with the present invention;

[0108]FIGS. 22 and 22A illustrate still another embodiment of the topend for the injecting needles in accordance with the present invention;

[0109]FIG. 23 is a partial sectional view of an injector in accordancewith the present invention, illustrating the injection needle assemblypositioned within the injector housing in a retracted position, andshowing the injector positioned in an opening of the injector supportplate;

[0110]FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the injector and support plateshown in FIG. 23, but with the injection needle assembly in an extendedposition;

[0111]FIG. 25 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a vaccinedelivery system for the injection apparatus and method of the presentinvention, illustrating the heart-type valve pump connected to a seriesof side-by-side individual modules which are assembled together toconstruct the vaccine distribution manifold;

[0112]FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional side view of one manifold modulewhich when assembled make up the vaccine distribution manifold of theembodiment shown in FIG. 25;

[0113]FIG. 27 is a front elevation view of the manifold module of FIG.26 for use in the present invention;

[0114]FIG. 28 is a front elevation view of the fluid distributionmanifold for the embodiment of vaccine delivery system shown in FIG. 25,illustrating a plurality of the manifold modules connected together inseries;

[0115]FIG. 29 is a bottom side perspective view of a high precisionvalve distribution manifold in accordance with the present invention,illustrating the relationship of the various longitudinal body sectionsand the aligned vaccine delivery ports for delivering precise quantitiesof vaccine to the injectors and needles;

[0116]FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the valve distributionmanifold of FIG. 29, illustrating the components from the sameperspective direction as FIG. 29;

[0117]FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the valve distributionmanifold of FIG. 29, illustrating the components as seen from the backof the manifold;

[0118]FIG. 32 is a partial sectional view taken along sectional line32-32 in FIG. 29;

[0119]FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the valve distribution manifoldshown in FIG. 29, but illustrating the manifold from the oppositedirection;

[0120]FIG. 34 is a sectional view of one embodiment of a suction cupassembly for use in gripping and transferring the injected eggs inaccordance with the present invention, illustrating the suction cupassembly supported within an opening in a transfer support plate;

[0121]FIG. 35 is a bottom view of the flexible suction cup used in thesuction cup assembly shown in FIG. 34;

[0122]FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the suction cup taken alongline 36-36 of FIG. 35;

[0123]FIGS. 37 and 38 are cross-sectional views of the suction cupassembly of FIG. 34, illustrating how the assembly articulates in theopening of a transfer support plate when the injected eggs are indifferent orientations in the incubating tray;

[0124]FIG. 39 is an exploded bottom side perspective view of anotherembodiment of a transfer support plate and suction cup assembly inaccordance with the present invention;

[0125]FIG. 40 is a bottom side perspective view of the transfer supportplate and suction cup assembly as shown in FIG. 39, when assembled, witheach suction cup assembly gripping an egg;

[0126]FIG. 41 is a side elevation view of the suction cup assembly shownin FIGS. 39 and 40;

[0127]FIG. 42 is a top view of the suction cup assembly shown in FIGS.39 and 40;

[0128]FIG. 43 is a partial cutaway, exploded perspective view of theflexible bellows and suction cup components of the suction cup assemblyshown in FIGS. 39 and 40;

[0129]FIG. 44 is a partial cross-sectional view of the suction cupassembly shown in FIGS. 39 and 40;

[0130]FIG. 45 is a partial cutaway, perspective view of the assembledsuction cup assembly shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, illustrating thecomponents of the suction cup assembly when in a compressed condition;

[0131]FIG. 46 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the assembledflexible bellows and suction cup components of the suction cup assemblyshown in FIGS. 39 and 40 with the suction cup gripping an egg;

[0132]FIG. 47 is a partial cross-sectional view of the suction cupassembly shown in FIG. 44, but illustrating preferred hardware at theupper end which permits quick connection into and out of the suction cupopenings in the transfer support plate;

[0133]FIG. 48 is an exploded perspective view of a second high precisionvalve distribution manifold in accordance with the present invention,looking to the side and top, illustrating the relationship of thevarious components;

[0134]FIG. 49 is another exploded perspective view of the valvedistribution manifold of FIG. 48 looking to the side and bottom; and

[0135]FIG. 50 is a partial sectional view of the valve distributionmanifold of FIG. 48, illustrating the assembled components.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0136] Although preferred embodiments of the invention are explained indetail, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible.Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention is to be limited inits scope to the details of constructions and arrangement of componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orcarried out in various ways. Also, in describing the preferredembodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes alltechnical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish asimilar purpose.

[0137] The term “birds”, as used herein, is intended to include males orfemales of avian species, but is primarily intended to encompass poultrywhich are commercially raised for eggs or meat, or to breed to producestock for eggs or meat. Accordingly, the term “bird” is particularlyintended to encompass either gender or any bird, including withoutlimitation, chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, quail, ostriches,pheasants, and the like. The present invention may be practiced with anytype of bird egg.

[0138] The term “fluid”, as used herein, is intended to include anymaterial which will flow and is not limited to pure liquids. Thus,“fluid” refers to solutions, liquid-liquid suspensions, liquid-solidsuspensions, gases, gaseous suspensions, emulsions, and any othermaterial or mixture of materials which exhibits fluid properties.Certain solid materials also fall under this term, such as biodegradablepolymers (e.g., in the form of syringeable beads) which release activeagents upon biodegredation.

[0139] The term “liquid,” as used herein, is intended to include anyliquid materials which will flow like a liquid and is not limited topure liquids. Thus, “liquid” refers to pure liquids, liquid solutions,liquid-liquid suspensions, liquid-solid suspensions, emulsions, and anyother material or mixture of materials which exhibits liquid properties.Certain solid materials also fall under this term, such as biodegradablepolymers (e.g., in the form of syringeable beads) which release activeagents upon biodegredation.

[0140] FIGS. 1-10 show the overall configuration of a parallel in-linemachine or apparatus for inoculating eggs embodying the features of thepresent invention, which is denoted generally by reference numeral 100.The machine or apparatus 100 comprises a parallel in line system andincludes a frame or frame structure, generally designated by referencenumeral 102.

[0141] The machine frame 102 includes upright leg members 104 at eachcorner and four interior upright frame members 106 near the middle ofthe frame. The leg members 104 at each end of the frame 102 are rigidlyinterconnected near the bottom, middle and top by cross frame members108, 110 and 112, respectively. Similarly, the interior upright framemembers 106 are interconnected across the machine by similar cross framemembers 114, 116 and 118, respectively. Further, each upright leg member104 is rigidly connected on each side of the frame 102 to an interiorupright frame member 106 near their bottom, middle and top bylongitudinal frame members 120, 122 and 124, respectively. The two toplongitudinal frame members 124 on the right side are omitted from FIGS.1-7 for clarity. Finally, the adjacent interior upright frame members106 on each side of the machine are rigidly connected together by shortconnectors 126 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0142] The upright leg members 104 and interior upright frame members106 together with cross frame members 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 and 118and longitudinal frame members 120, 122 and 124 form the rigid frame 102in the overall shape of a rectangular box, which is generally divided inthe longitudinal middle at connectors 126. Positioned in the front halfof the machine 100 is an injection section, generally designated byreference numeral 130, having an injection assembly generally designatedby reference numeral 131. The rear half of the machine 100 houses atransfer section, generally designated by reference numeral 132, havinga transfer assembly generally designated by reference numeral 133.

[0143] Further, the middle or intermediate cross frame members 110 and116 and intermediate longitudinal frame members 122 are all positionedat approximately the same vertical height to form a generallyrectangular horizontal frame, generally designated by reference numeral134, around the apparatus 100 at a convenient height for the apparatusoperator, approximately waist high. The bottom cross frame members 108and 120 are interconnected by a series of interior longitudinal framemembers 136 which serve to further rigidify the frame 102 and form abottom shelf 138 for supporting fluid containers 140 and the like whichare used in the machine apparatus. The entire parallel in-line apparatus100 is mounted on casters or wheels 142 so that it can be moved fromplace to place, as desired. A brake or floor lock (not shown) can beprovided for the wheels 142 to hold the apparatus 100 in place duringoperation.

[0144] All of the frame members, including upright leg members 104 andinterior upright members 106, cross frame members 108, 110, 112, 114,116 and 118, longitudinal frame members 120, 122 and 124, and shelfframe members 136 are preferably made from the same size squarestainless steel 1.5 inch stock. Further, all connections are by weldingso as to eliminate cracks and crevices and openings where particles cancollect and bacteria grow. The parallel in-line apparatus 100 andmachine frame 102 form a completely sealed machine. Because it is acompletely sealed machine, there is no place for dirt, debris or mold tobuild up. Also, the machine can be easily washed down at the end of theday, or anytime after egg injection.

[0145] At the left front of the apparatus 100, the upright leg member104 and interior upright frame member 110, where joined by upperlongitudinal frame member 124, form a support for a control panel,generally designated by reference numeral 144. The control panel 144includes button, switches, visual liquid crystal display (LCD)touch-tone panel 146 and indicator lights, and is provided in aself-contained waterproof box 148 mounted between the upright leg 104and upright interior frame member 106 on upper frame member 124. Thecontrol panel 144 also includes a micro-modular PCL DL 205 controller orsimilar type computer which is readily programmable.

[0146] Running through the frame 102 from front to back and mountedslightly above the horizontal frame 106 are a pair of side-by-sideparallel generally horizontal tracks, an incubator tray or egg flattrack generally designated by reference numeral 150, herein sometimesreferred to as the right side track (facing the front of the machine),and a hatching tray track generally designated by reference numeral 152,or the left side track (facing the front of the machine). Eachhorizontal track is defined by a pair of horizontal guide rails, aninside guide rail 154 and an outside guide rail 156. The guide rails 154and 156 are preferably discontinuous as at 159 (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 7)adjacent cross frame members 116 so that the transfer section 132 of themachine can readily be separated from the injection section 130 of themachine.

[0147] The inside guide rails 154 for each track 150 and 152 are rigidlymounted in back-to-back relation approximately down the longitudinalmiddle of the machine 100, front to back, on a center guide, generallydesignated by reference numeral 158. Preferably, the center guide 158 isa U-shaped rail with laterally extending flanges. The legs of theU-shaped rail form the vertical section of the guide rails 154, theflanges form the horizontal section, and the yoke of the U-shape definesthe top of center guide 158 (see FIG. 6). The center guide 158 is alsosplit at 160 (see FIG. 5) adjacent the middle of the machine in the samearea 159 of the guide rails 154 and 156. The outside guide rails 156 aresupported above the horizontal frame by a series of upstanding boxes 162which are mounted on top of the longitudinal frame members 122.

[0148] The outside guide rails 156 of the incubating tray, or rightside, track 150 are also individually movable laterally by a pair ofshort horizontally moving pneumatic cylinders 164 at the injectionsection 130 and a second pair of short horizontally moving pneumaticcylinders 166 at the transfer section 132. The cylinders 164 and 166 aresupported within the boxes 162, as described in more detail further onin this description.

[0149] A receiving guide, generally designated by reference numeral 170,is mounted on the front end of the apparatus 100 in front of cross framemember 110 to define the front end of the tracks 150 and 152.Preferably, the receiving plate 170 is designed with two parallelreceiving slots 172 and 174 defined by raised end portions 176 and araised center portion 178 (see FIG. 7). The receiving slots 172 and 174are horizontally aligned with the guide rails 154 and 156 of theincubating tray track 150 and hatching tray track 152, respectively. Thereceiving slot 172 and incubating tray track 150 receive a conventionalincubating tray or egg flat carrier 168 used in commercial hatcheries.The receiving slot 174 and hatching tray track 152 receive aconventional hatching tray 169, as used in commercial hatcheries.

[0150] The receiving guide 170 is preferably made of high densitypolypropylene or other suitable material to provide a smooth, lowfriction surface for the receiving slots 172 and 174 to facilitate theplacement of the incubating tray and hatching tray on their respectiveright side and left side tracks 150 and 152, respectively. Thehorizontal portion of the guide rails 154 and 156 are preferably coveredwith a high density polypropylene strip (or other suitable material) toalso provide a low friction surface for movement of the respectiveincubating and hatching trays thereon.

[0151] As defined previously, the incubating tray 168 can be made up ofone to four, or more, commercial incubating trays, depending upon themanufacturer. FIGS. 13A and 13B show a “La Nationale”® incubating tray168, having handles 180. The illustrated incubating tray 168 includes aplurality of rows of apertures 182. Each aperture or egg holdingdepression 182 is configured to receive one end of a respective egg soas to support the respective egg in a substantially vertical positionwith the large end facing up. The incubating tray 168 carriesapproximately one hundred and thirty-two eggs in a staggered array of 22rows with six eggs each. The tray 168 comes right from the incubatormachine with the eggs already positioned and is directly loaded on theright side receiving slot 172.

[0152] Of course, the incubating tray used in accordance with thepresent invention may contain any number of rows containing any numberof eggs. Furthermore, eggs in adjacent rows may be parallel to oneanother as in a rectangular tray, or may be in a staggered relationship,as in an offset tray. It is also contemplated in accordance with thepresent invention that the incubating tray 168 can be any specialdesign. Depending on the type of incubating tray 168 to be used in themachine 100, the injection assembly 131 and transfer assembly 133, asdescribed hereinafter, are then appropriately configured so that thedepressions 182 of the incubating tray align with the operatingcomponents of each of the assemblies 131 and 133.

[0153] While an incubating tray 168, carrying eggs to be injected, isplaced on the right side track 150, an open hatching or receiving tray170, shown FIGS. 13A and 13B, is placed into the receiving slot 174 andonto the left side track 152. Once the eggs are injected in theinjection section 130 and the incubating tray 168 moved down track 150to the transfer section 132, the hatching tray 169 is also moved downits track 152 to the transfer section 132. The injected eggs are thentransferred from the incubating tray 168 to the hatching tray 169. Thehatching tray 169 is open and without individual places to hold theeggs. Transferring the eggs to the open hatching tray 169 is commonpractice because the hatched chicks would get hurt if the eggs remainedin the tray 168 after hatching.

[0154] Returning to FIGS. 1-10, the injection assembly 131 and transferassembly 133 are suspended in series within the machine frame 102. Theinjection assembly 131 is suspended from a rigid longitudinal platformor bridge 184, which is supported on top of the upper cross framemembers 112 and 118. A pair of pneumatic cylinders 186 mounted in tandemon the bridge 184 move the injection assembly 131 up and down. Thetransfer assembly 133 is suspended from a longitudinal platform orbridge 188, which is movable transversely across the machine 102 in thetransfer section 130. Each end of the bridge 188 is mounted on a sliderail 190 for lateral sliding movement transversely across the machine100. The slide rails 190 rest on angle irons 192 which are welded to aninside surface of the two interior upright frame members 106 and twoupright leg members 104, respectively, of the transfer section 132 at anappropriate location spaced above the tracks 150 and 152 and below thetop frame members 112, 118 and 124 (see FIGS. 1 and 6). A second pair ofpneumatic cylinders 194 are also mounted in tandem on the movable bridge188 to move the transfer assembly 133 up and down. A fifth, rodlesspneumatic cylinder 196, preferably mounted inside upper cross framemember 118 of the transfer section 132 is connected to one end of bridge188 by stud 198, which moves the bridge 188 carrying the transferassembly 133 horizontally back and forth laterally across the transfersection 132.

[0155] The injection assembly 131 includes a vertically movable injectorsupport and holding plate 200 having a series of openings 202 whichalign with the eggs in the incubating tray 168 when the tray is properlyaligned on track 150 for egg injection. The plate 200 is connected alongits side edges to the ends of a pair of U-shaped supports 210 which arein turn connected at their yoke to the outer end of the piston rods ofcylinders 186. Positioned in the openings 200 are a series of verticallymovable injectors, generally designated by reference numeral 204. Eachof the injectors 204 houses a reciprocating needle assembly 206 carryingan injection needle 208 for supplying a fluid substance to the interiorof the eggs (see FIG. 24). The number and location of the injectors 204correspond in number and location to the aperture or egg-holdingdepressions 182 in a full incubating tray 168 so that all of the eggsfor any hatching tray can be injected at one time.

[0156] Since the design of incubating trays 168 may vary, it isunderstood that any number of injectors 204 may be provided in theinjection assembly 131 so long as the injectors 204 are arranged tocorrespond to the locations of the egg-holding depressions 182 in theparticular incubating tray 168, to be used in the machine 100. Inaccordance with the present invention, the injection assembly 131 shouldbe designed so that all of the eggs in the incubating tray to be used onthe machine are injected at one time. For example, some one-pieceincubating trays hold as many as one hundred sixty-eight eggs. Wheninjecting such a large number of eggs in this type of incubating tray,the injection assembly 131 should preferably hold one hundred andsixty-eight injectors 204 thus requiring only one injection sequence tosimultaneously inject all of the eggs in the tray at one time.

[0157] When an injection cycle is initiated, the plate 200 of theinjection assembly 131 moves from its “home” position underneath thesupport platform or bridge 184 and rapidly traverses downwardly to aposition directly over the incubating tray 168. Meanwhile, the injectors204 are free to move vertically upwardly in their respective openings202. As the support plate 200 approaches its most downward position,each injector 204 is positioned directly above one of the eggs in thetray 168 and an elastomeric contact or stabilizing nipple 230 (see FIGS.23 and 24) on the bottom or lower end of each injector 204 engages thetop of its respective egg. Once contact is made, the injector 204 isfree to move vertically upward in its respective hole 202. Hence, theinjectors 204 are able to adjust independently for variations in heightand tilt of each egg in the incubating tray.

[0158] Once the plate 200 is in its full down position with all contactor stabilizing nipples 230 in contact with their respective eggs, agripper ring 212 in each hole 202 is pneumatically expanded to grip andhold the injectors 204 rigidly in plate 200 with the contact nipples 230seated on the egg shell surface. The needle assemblies 206 are thenactuated to extend needles 208 a predetermined distance with sufficientforce to penetrate the egg shell. The needles 208 continue through theopening in the egg shells to an injecting position. Vaccine is deliveredto each egg via one of the needles 208. Since all of the injectors 204are the same and the nipple 230 of each is in surface contact with theegg, each egg is injected to the same depth. Following vaccine delivery,the needle assemblies 206 carrying needles 208 are retracted, andinjectors 204 are then picked up during upward movement of the supportplate as it returns along with the injectors 204 back to the up, or“home”, position above the eggs in the tray 168.

[0159] Liquid substances to be injected, such as vaccines, areordinarily provided in a closed, sterile plastic bag having ports (notshown), similar to an IV bag. The delivery bag is suspended from avertical support hanger 214, preferably mounted on the platform 184directly above the injectors 204. Vaccine delivery from the delivery bagto the needles 208 is accomplished via a unique vaccine deliveryassembly, generally designated by reference numeral 240, which ismounted inside the U-shaped supports 210. There are preferably twovaccine delivery assemblies, one on each side for the one-half of theinjectors on its side.

[0160] As the vaccine is dispensed from the vaccine delivery bag to thevaccine delivery assemblies, the machine monitors the quantity ofvaccine remaining in the bag by a unique vaccine volume monitoringsystem. This monitoring system consists of a waterproof load-cell 216located at the top of the vaccine bag support hanger 214. The vaccinebag hangs directly from the load-cell and it continuously monitors theweight of the vaccine bag. The load cell is connected to the centralcomputer of the machine in control panel 146 and sends a continuoussignal, which the computer analyzes. It compares the reducing weight ofvaccine in the bag to the programmed dosage and provides the operatorwith real time information, such as quantity of vaccine left, quantityof doses left per single units or quantity of trays that can receivedosage from the remaining vaccine. The machine also measures the lengthof time each new vaccine bag has been in operation on the machine. Ithas been found that delays in delivering the vaccine from the deliverybag to the injectors can be detrimental to the quality of the vaccineremaining in the bag. Thus, the machine alerts the operator when time isapproaching to replace the vaccine delivery bag. Further, after eachtray has been injected the computer calculates the total vaccine usedand compares that information to the size dosage multiplied by thequantity of eggs per tray. If there is a discrepancy, the computerimmediately alerts the operator with a message on the touch-tonemonitoring screen 146.

[0161] In one embodiment, the vaccine delivery assembly 240 includes aheart-type valve pump, generally designated by reference numeral 242(see FIG. 25), which is connected directly to one end of a distributionmanifold, generally designated by reference numeral 260, made up ofindividual manifold modules, generally designated by reference numeral262. The valve pump 242 and manifold 260 are supported above theinjectors 204 inside the U-shaped supports 210 by any suitableattachment. A flexible delivery tubing conveys the vaccine the shortdistance from the plastic delivery bag to the inlet connection 264 ofthe valve pump 240, and from the outlets 266 of the manifold modules 262to the injection needles 208 of the injectors 204.

[0162] The routing and number of flexible delivery tubes or tubing arenot shown in the drawing figures to avoid unnecessary complication. Thetube lengths are as short as possible and as direct as possible andwithout any T-connections so as to minimize friction, turbulence andmachine residence time for the vaccine. The routing and number of tubingare apparent from this description. All vaccine delivery tubes betweencommon points are substantially the same length so that there is novariation in internal vaccine pressure. Therefore, vaccine is equallydistributed to each individual injector 204 at substantially the sametime. This allows for consistent delivery of the proper dosage ofvaccine to the injected eggs.

[0163] As previously described, a full incubating tray 168 is loaded orplaced onto the incubating or right side track 150 of the apparatus 100,and an empty hatching tray 169 is placed on the hatching tray or leftside track 152. There are a plurality of sensors positioned along thetrack 150 on the rigid guide rail 154 to detect the location of theincubating tray 168. In the preferred embodiment, there are four fiberoptic sensors 268, 269, 271 and 273 along the track 150. The sensors arepositioned to detect and locate the position of the front and back ofthe tray 168 in the injection section 130 and in the transfer section132. Initially, a retractable stop 270 in the rigid rail 154 of theright side track 150 extends outwardly at the front of the inside guiderail 154 adjacent receiving slot 172 (see FIG. 11). The stop 270prohibits the placing of the next incubating tray onto the guide rails154, 156 until the previous tray 168 has moved to the transfer section132.

[0164] The center guide 158 rigidly supports or forms the inside rails154 for each of the right and left side tracks. The outside rails 156 ofthe incubating tray or right side track 150 are independently movablelaterally in each of the injecting section 130 and the transfer section132 to clamp the egg incubating tray 168 against the fixed inside rails154 on the center guide 158. The outside rails 156 are moved laterallyby the pair of pneumatic side cylinders 164 in the support boxes 162 inthe injection section 130 and another pair of pneumatic side cylinders166 in support boxes 162 in the transfer section 132. In order toposition the incubator tray 168 in proper longitudinal position on theright side track 150, in each the injector section 130 and the transfersection 132, the center guide includes two retractable pneumatic stops292 and 294, respectively, at the back of each section. When extended,the stops prevent further movement of the incubator tray 168 on thetrack 150 so that it is properly positioned longitudinally for theinjecting or transfer operation. The outside rail 156 is then movedlaterally to clamp the tray 168 in proper lateral alignment against thefixed inside rail 154.

[0165] Each of the tracks 150 and 152 includes a tray positioning orpusher assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 280(see FIG.7), which is located centrally below each track and extendslongitudinally from the front of the frame structure 102 adjacent thereceiving guide 170, through the injection section 130 and into thebeginning of the transfer section 132. The tray positioning assemblies280 push the filled incubating tray 168 and hatching tray 169 throughthe injection section and into the transfer section along theirrespective right side track 150 and left side track 152, respectively.Each tray positioning assembly 280 includes a rodless pneumatic cylinder282 housed within a U-shaped cover 284 and a U-shaped carrier 285 whichstraddles underneath the cover 284 and is moved by the pneumaticcylinder 282 (see FIG. 14). A plate 286 is pivotally attached to thecarrier 285 with bolts 288 and includes a counterweight component 290which biases the plate 286 in the up or angled position as shown in FIG.15. When a tray is placed on top of the plate 286, it pivots to a flathorizontal position, generally parallel to the top wall of cover 284 andbelow the horizontal plane defined by the track rails 154 and 156.

[0166] The pneumatic cylinder 282, carrier 285 and plate 286 start atthe “home” position at the front of the frame 102 adjacent the receivingguide 170 in their traveling position. With the injection assembly 131at its “home” position, and the previous tray 168 pushed to the transfersection 132, the stop 270 retracts and stop 292 at the back of theinjection section extends out. When the next filled tray 168 is placedon the right side track 150 and moved past the plate 286 by theoperator, the plate 286 moves into its pushing position. The leadingedge 294 of the plate 286 moves forward to abut the tray 168, and theplate 286 pushes the tray 168 to its proper longitudinal location in theinjection section 130 against pneumatic stop 292. The pneumaticcylinders 164 are actuated to move the injection section outside guiderail 156 laterally towards the opposed inside guide rail 154, to thusclamp the incubating tray 168 in position in the injection section 130.

[0167] When the egg injection sequence is completed, the cylinders 164are again actuated to move the injection section outside guide rail 156laterally outwardly away from the inside guide rails 154 to therebyrelease the incubating tray 168. The pneumatic stop 292 retracts and thepusher assembly 280 pushes the tray 168 into position in the transfersection 132 against pneumatic stop 294 at the end of the transfersection. The sensors 271 and 273 in the rigid rail 154 of the right sidetract (see FIGS. 11) detect the movement and the positioning of the tray168 in the transfer section 132. Once positioned longitudinally in thetransfer section 132, pneumatic cylinders 166 are actuated to laterallymove the transfer section outside guide rail 156 inwardly towards theinside guide rail 154 to clamp the incubating tray 168 in position inthe transfer section 132.

[0168] Upon completion of the removal of the eggs from the incubatingtray 168 by the transfer assembly 132, the pneumatic cylinders 166 areagain actuated to move the transfer section outside guide rail 156outwardly away from the inside guide rail 154 and thereby release theincubating tray 168, and stop 294 is retracted for removal of the emptytray 168 from the back end of the machine 100. The outside guide rails156 of the hatching tray, or left side, track 152 are typically notmovable in accordance with the present invention inasmuch as it is notnecessary to clamp the hatching tray 169 in a lateral direction ineither the injection section 130 or the transfer section 132. However,the hatching tray track includes a sensor 293 and a retractable stop 294at the back end of the injection section 130 to sense the position ofthe hatching tray 169 and prevent its movement into the transfer section132 until the preceding hatching tray has been removed from the back endof the machine. The hatching tray track 152 also includes front and backsensors 295 and 297, respectively, and stop 299 which sense and stop theposition of the hatching tray 169 in proper position in the transfersection 132 for receiving the transferred eggs. Once the transfersequence is complete, the pneumatic cylinder 282 moves the plate 286back to its home position at the front of the frame 102.

[0169] The tray positioning assembly 280 associated with the incubatingtray or right side track 150 also includes a sanitization assembly,generally designated by reference numeral 300, as shown in FIGS. 14 and15. The sanitization assembly 300 is mounted to the carrier 285 andtravels with the carrier 285 and plate 286 by operation of the pneumaticcylinder 282. Thus, when the injector assembly 131 is in its up “home”position underneath bridge or platform 184, the sanitation assembly 300travels directly underneath the injection assembly 131, and theinjectors 204 supported thereon, as the carrier 285 and plate 286 travelthrough the injecting section 130. The sanitization assembly 300includes at least one pair of upwardly directing spray nozzles 302, 304attached one on each side of the carrier 285 and spaced slightly belowthe upper surface of the plate 286. Sanitizing fluid supply pipes 306,308 are threaded into the side of each nozzle. The end of the pipesconnect to a sanitizing fluid supply tube leading from the appropriatesupply containers 140 supported on bottom shelf 138. The sanitizingfluids in the containers 140 are under pneumatic pressure which forcesthe appropriate fluid out of the nozzles 302, 304 when the controller orcomputer opens the applicable valve(s). The tray positioning assembly280 associated with the hatching tray or left side track 152 preferablydoes not include a sanitization assembly 300.

[0170] Positioned below tracks 150 and 152 underneath each of theinjection section 130 and the transfer section 132 are drain pans 310and 312, respectively. The drain pans 310 and 312 slope toward theircenter to a drain opening 314 to which is connected a suitable drainhose 316 which connects to a floor drain (not shown) or to a spentfluids container 140, which can also be supported on bottom shelf 138.The drain pans 310 and 312 extend for substantially the entire lengthand width underneath each of the injection section 130 and transfersection 132, respectively. They thus serve to catch any broken orexploded eggs or debris generated in either section. The drain pans haveupstanding vertical sides which can be press fitted inside of middlecross frame members 110 and 116 and middle longitudinal frame members122 around each side of the horizontal frame 134. Preferably, thevertical sides of drain pans 310 and 312 are connected to the horizontalframe members at an inwardly spaced distance of about one inch forcleaning and sanitization purposes. The drain pan 310 also catches thespent sanitization fluids after each sanitization cycle and directs thefluids away from the working sections of the machine.

[0171] Sanitization of the needles and the head of the injectors isperformed after each injection to minimize cross-contamination of theeggs. Spray sanitization is initiated after injection and when the traypositioning assembly 280 begins its travel to push the incubating tray168 with injected eggs from its position in the injection section 130 toits position in the transfer section 132. The injectors 204, raisedafter injection, are sequentially surrounded by the spray as the plate286 pushes the incubating tray 168 and the spray nozzles 302, 304 movedown the right side track 150. The needles 208 are extended out of theinjectors 204, and the sanitizing fluid is sprayed in a V-shaped spray,from each of the nozzles 302, 304, which sprays overlap to providecomplete coverage of the injectors 204 and the underneath side ofsupport plate 200. As the tray positioning assembly 280 moves theincubating tray 168 down the track 150, the sanitizing spray continuesuntil the incubating tray reaches its position in the transfer section132. At this point, the pneumatic cylinder 282 has reached the end ofits stroke triggering a magnetic sensor inside cover 284. At the sametime, the tray 168 reaches the back fiber optic sensor 273 and the backstop 294 in the transfer section. The spraying stops, the needles 208retract into the injectors 204 and the pneumatic cylinder 282 returnsthe tray positioning assembly 280, including the carrier 285 and plate286, to its home position. The stoppage of spray occurs before theinjection assembly 131 is allowed to commence another injection cycle.

[0172] The tray positioning assembly 280 for the hatching tray 169, orleft side track 152, operates in the same manner and with the companioncarrier 285 and pusher plate 286 (but without a sanitization assembly300). Hence, the incubating tray 168 and hatching tray 169 can beautomatically moved from the injection section 130 into position in thetransfer section 132.

[0173] A hand held sprayer and hose assembly 320 is provided as anintegral component of the machine in order to wash down broken orexploded egg components off the machine and into either of the drainpans 310 and 312. The assembly 320 is preferably of conventionalconstruction and is connected by hose 322 to a water supply container140, such as shown in FIG. 4.

[0174] After the sanitization has been completed, the machine is readyfor another injection sequence. Another incubator tray 168 with a newset of eggs have, by this time, been placed into the injection track 150over receiving slot 172 by the operator, and the injection sequence isrepeated.

[0175] The machine of the present invention is equipped and programmedwith an appropriate cleaning cycle. The cleaning cycle is an integralcomponent of the apparatus and method carried out by the machine 100 andis typically conducted pre-operation in the morning and post-operationin the evening. The cleaning cycle operation is displayed on the videocontrol panel 146 as the cycle is in progress and preferably usesdifferent colors to differentiate the different solutions used in thecleaning cycle, including standard sanitizer solution, standard cleaningsolution, alcohol and water. One or more containers 140 contain each ofthese four solutions which are connected to a separate cleaning supplyhose (not shown). The solutions in the containers 140 are underpneumatic pressure which delivers the appropriate fluid during thecleaning cycle to the vaccine circuit when the appropriate valve isopened. In order to perform the cleaning cycle, the operator merelyremoves the tubing from the vaccine delivery bag which supplies thevaccine to the vaccine delivery assembly 240 and assembles the separatecleaning supply hose thereto. The machine 100 is then ready to commencethe cleaning cycle by delivering the respective cleaning and othersolutions sequentially to the vaccine delivery assembly 240 and, thence,to all the subsequent components connected thereto.

[0176] Each of the sub-assemblies of the apparatus of the presentinvention will now be described in more detail below. Preferably, asource of pressurized gas is used to drive the apparatus of the presentinvention. The pressurized gas is air. The movement and operation of theinjection assembly 131, the transfer assembly 133, the injectors 204 andneedle assemblies 206, and the tray positioning assembly 140, as well asthe other assemblies and components to be described hereinafter, are allcarried out pneumatically. As seen in FIGS. 1-10, electrical andpneumatic enclosures are mounted on the bridges 184 and 188 for housingthe pneumatic cylinders 186 and 194 which move the injection assembly131 and transfer assembly 133, respectively, up and down. A pair ofcylinders generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the machineare preferably used to properly guide each assembly in its down and upstrokes. Air is supplied at an air supply inlet mounted adjacent theexterior of the pneumatic enclosure. The air supply inlet is connectedto the source of pressurized air (not shown), such as instrument air, anair compressor or the like. From the air supply inlet, the pressurizedinlet air preferably passes through a series of air filters (not shown)where the inlet air is filtered and most of the moisture and oil contentremoved. The clean dry air then flows through an air pressure regulator(not shown) for controlling the operating pressure of the overallmachine 100. The inlet air supply pressure is preferably from about 100psi to about 120 psi. The inlet air supply pressure may be monitored byan air pressure switch (not shown) and visually indicated on an airpressure gauge (not shown). All of these components are conventional andknown to those skilled in pneumatics.

[0177] The air or pneumatic cylinders referred to herein, and theirconnection to the parts they move, are generally conventional in natureand will not be described in detail other than to point out that theappropriate arrangements can be made without undue experimentation inbuilding or operating the machine. It is understood that other devices,such as solenoids, could be used in the present invention, butdouble-acting pneumatic cylinders are preferable since egg injectionmachines are typically washed down after each use.

[0178] The parallel in line machine 100 of the present invention iscontrolled by an onboard computer or central programmable logiccontroller (PLC) which is mounted in the waterproof control panel 144.The programming of the operations of the machine 100 are easilyaccomplished from the logical operation of the machine 100 as describedherein. The PLC is preferably a Direct Logic 205 controller and controlsthe normal operation of the unit. The operation of the pneumaticcylinders, pneumatic control valves, operator interface, LCD,retractable stops, indicator lights buttons and switches are allcontrolled by the PLC. Sensors for air pressure and fluid levels mayalso be provided. The fiber optic sensors 268, 269, 271, 273, 293, 295and 297 are selectively mounted at various points and signal theposition of the moving incubating tray 168 and hatching tray 169 ontheir respective tracks 150 and 152 to the PLC for the various machinefunctions.

[0179] Turning now to FIG. 16, there is shown a plan view of theunderneath side of the injector support plate 200. The support plate 200is made up of two rectangular mating half-plates, an upper half-plate330 and a lower half-plate 332. The half-plates 330 and 332 are securedto one another at specific intervals through plate connectors (notshown) in holes 334, preferably spaced around the periphery of the plate200. The support plate is connected to the pair of pneumatic cylinders186 through the two upstanding U-brackets 210. A plurality of equallyspaced pairs of bracket connectors (not shown) secure the support plateto the legs of the U-brackets 210 through holes 336. The piston rod ofeach pneumatic cylinder is connected at its outer end to the yoke of theU-bracket 210. As shown, the support plate 200 is rectangularly shapedand includes a plurality of holes 202. The holes 202 receive theinjectors 204 of the injection assembly 131 and are properly spaced incolumns and rows to match the eggs in the incubating tray 168. Since thetray 168 of one poultry processor may differ from the trays of anotherprocessor, the number and configuration of the holes 202 in the plate200 are specially designed to match the incubating tray or plurality oftrays corresponding to the hatching tray of a specific processor whoseeggs are to be injected on the machine 100. The trays 168 of poultryprocessors are also typically of an unique color to identify aparticular processor. Hence, the fiber optic sensors 268, 269, 271 and273 are preferably capable of distinguishing different levels ofilluminosity so that the machine 100 will not function if the sensorsread an illuminosity different than that of the incubating tray forwhich the pattern of holes 202 is specially configured.

[0180] The inside (top) surface of the bottom half-plate 332 is shown inFIG. 18. Each hole 202 in the bottom half-plate 332 is surrounded by agroove 337 which is machined into the inner surface of the bottomhalf-plate. The upper half-plate 330 also has a plurality of injectorholes 202 which match and align with the plurality of holes 202 in thebottom half-plate 332. Similar to the grooves 337 of the bottomhalf-plate 332, the injector holes 202 of the upper half-plate 330 havea similar groove 338 machined around each hole 202. Sandwiched betweenthe upper and bottom half plates 330 and 332 and positioned in therespective grooves 338 and 337 are the gripper rings 212 as shown inFIGS. 18 and 19.

[0181] Also machined into the bottom (inner) surface of the upperhalf-plate 330 is an air flow path 340. The air flow path 340interconnects to all of the openings 202 and to a pair of air inlets 342on the upper half-plate 330. Between the plurality of plate connectors334 and the outer edge of the air flow path 340 is an air seal 344.Preferably, there is no air path 340 machined into the inside (top)surface of the bottom half-plate 302. While machining the air flow path340 into the inner (bottom) surface of the upper half-plate 330 ispreferred, it could be machined into the inside (top) surface of thebottom half-plate 332, or machined into both facing inner surfaces, ifdesired.

[0182] The gripper ring 212 is made of rubber or other suitableelastomeric material and includes a top ring seal 346, a bottom ringseal 348, and a center gripping cylinder 350 connecting the top andbottom ring seals. The ring seals 346 and 348 seat snugly in therespective grooves 338 and 337 of the upper half-plate 300 andcorresponding bottom half-plate 302 so that the gripping cylinder 350forms the inner wall of each opening 202. The inside diameter ofgripping cylinders 350 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of theinjectors 204 mounted so that the injectors 204 are free to movevertically in each hole 202 when the gripper rings 212 are in theirrelaxed condition. When pneumatic pressure is applied to the air flowpath 340 through air inlet 342, the air pressure is communicated to eachof the gripper rings 212, causing the gripping cylinders 350 to expandout into the holes 202 and press against the outside wall of injectors204 to hold each individual injector 204 firmly in its verticallyassumed position.

[0183] Turning next to FIGS. 20 and 20A, 21 and 21A and 22 and 22A,there are shown different embodiments for the inlet end of the needle208 in order to reduce turbulence and friction imparted to the vaccinein accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 21, the upper end,generally designated by reference numeral 360, of the needle 208 isbonded through the center of a male hub fitting 362, preferably made ofstainless steel. The upper end 360 of the needle connects to anappropriate fluid delivery tubing 364 so that vaccine can be deliveredto the top of the needle and then to the egg. The fitting 362 includes abarbed flange or other enlargement 366 for attaching to the injectionneedle assembly 206, as described hereinafter. The needle tip 368 isbeveled. The beveled tip 368 is desirable since this type of needle willtend to shear a hole in the egg starting at the very point of the tip.After the initial break-through, the needle tip shears the remainder ofa round hole, often creating a flap of shell at the hole.

[0184] The needle 208 is sufficiently large that the needle canpenetrate thousands of egg shells without bending, yet is thin enough tometer very small amounts of vaccine in a precise manner. The needle forthe machine of the present invention has a larger diameter and a shorterlength than in other known commercial in ovo injection machines and candeliver the vaccine through a straight needle opening without clogging.Thus, the needle 208 overcomes the problems of known machines andimparts less friction and turbulence to the vaccine. The shorter needlelength is possible as a result of the simpler design and fully pneumaticoperation of the injectors 204, as described hereafter, which allows fora shorter injector body. Needle length less than 7 inches and-on theorder of about six and one-half inches is preferably used in the machineof the present invention. This compares with needles as long as 7½ and8½ inches on known commercial machines.

[0185] Preferably, the needle size used in the present invention is fromabout 16 gauge to about 22 gauge. A needle thicker than about 16 gaugecould create cracks in the egg shell, and a needle thinner than about 22gauge is ordinarily too thin to repetitively penetrate an egg shellwithout bending. A needle which is about 17 gauge (0.059 inches in outerdiameter) is most preferred. At the preferred needle thickness, thepreferred bevel angle is from about 20 degrees to about 45 degrees fromthe horizontal. At angles less than about 20 degrees, the contact areabetween needle tip and the surface of the egg shell become large, thusrequiring more force to break through the shell and possible cracking ofthe shells. Bevel angles greater than about 45 degrees requireunnecessary needle length. The most preferred bevel angle is about 30degrees.

[0186] The needle is preferably stainless steel and the outside of thetip of the needle may be titanium-plated partially along its length.This allows the same needle to be used for a larger number of injectionswithout loss of sharpness or damage, usually evidenced by burrs on theleading edge of the needle tip. Alternatively, a pencil-point needle maybe used.

[0187] As shown in FIGS. 20 and 20A, the top end 360 of the needle 208differs from the straight needle inlet of conventional needles. Instead,the top end 360 has an open mouth or funnel shaped tip to minimizedamage to the wall or membrane of the vaccine cells, in accordance withthe teaching of our copending application, U.S. Ser. No. 09/835,482,filed Apr. 17, 2001. The funnel shaped tip 370 is made of the samematerial as the remainder of the needle 208 and can be formed thereon inany conventional manner, such as by conventional mechanical and/orhydraulic equipment. The open mouth top end 370 of the needle 208 shownin FIGS. 20 and 20A is in the form of a funnel shape having an inletangle 372. The top end of the barb fitting 362 is also funnel shaped tobe flush to the outside surface of the funnel mouth 370. The barbedflange or enlargement 366 of the hub fitting 362 may have a clipmechanism for attaching the needle 208 to the injection needle assembly206.

[0188] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 21 and 21A, the inlet end 360′has a gradual curved shape to form the funnel shape mouth 370′, and thetop end of the male hub fitting 362′ extends all the way to the top ofthe needle inlet. The embodiment of the needle inlet top end 360″ shownin FIGS. 22 and 22A also has a funnel configuration having a gradualcurved shape to form the funnel shaped mouth 370″. In this embodiment,however, the end 360″ is formed to have an outwardly extending flange orlip 372″ around the mouth 370″. The barb fitting can be eliminated inthis embodiment because the flange 372″ can form the enlargement forattaching the needle 208″ to the injection needle assembly 206.

[0189] For the sake of clarity, one injector 204 positioned in itsrespective opening 202 of the injector support plate 200 is shown inFIGS. 23 and 24 with the injection needle 208 in its retracted positionin FIG. 23 and in an extended position in FIG. 24. The injectionassembly 131 includes numerous vertically movable injectors 204, one foreach egg, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. Each injector 204 includes acylindrical body or housing 374 made up of a cylindrical lower bodyportion 376 and a cylindrical upper body portion 378 which are connectedpreferably by threads 380. When assembled, the cylindrical body 374defines an air chamber 382 with an air up port 384 at the lower end andair down port 386 at its upper end on either side of an actuating piston388, as will be described below. The air ports 384 and 386 are connectedto vertical air channels 401 and 402, respectively, through upper bodyportion 378 to air hose connectors 403 and 405 mounted on top of theinjector body 374.

[0190] The gripper ring 212 is mounted in the support plate 200 suchthat the lower body portion 376 of the cylindrical body 374 is free tomove vertically within the plate opening 202. The upper body portion 378has a larger diameter than the lower body portion 376 so as to define aledge 390 when the portions 376 and 378 are assembled. When the injector204 is resting freely in opening 202, such as when the injector is notin contact with an egg, the ledge 390 rests on the top surface 392 ofthe support plate 200 around opening 202.

[0191] Each injector 204 includes an injection needle assembly 206 whichis vertically movable within the cylindrical body 374. The injectionneedle assembly 206 includes the injection needle 208 which issurrounded along a major portion of its length by a needle guide sleeve394 and the piston 388 which is mounted on the sleeve 394 and capturedin position by upper and lower retaining rings 396. The outer peripheryof piston 388 includes a conventional ring seal 398 which seals thepiston 388 against the inner cylindrical wall of air chamber 382. Asecond conventional ring seal 409 is fitted in an appropriate recess toseal the inside of piston 388 against the outside wall of guide sleeve394.

[0192] The upper end of chamber 382 is sealed by another conventionalring seal 400 captured in the upper end of cylindrical upper bodyportion 378 which seals against the outer cylindrical surface of needleguide sleeve 394. The lower end of chamber 382 is sealed by a fourthconventional ring seal 404 captured in the top end of cylindrical lowerbody portion 376 which also seals against the sleeve outer surface. Thecylindrical lower body portion 376 has a longitudinal cylindrical bore406 extending through its center which has a diameter only slightlylarger than the diameter of needle guide sleeve 394. The cylindricalbore 406 serves to guide the injection needle assembly 206 as it movesup and down within the cylindrical body 374. The cylindrical bore 406terminates toward the lower end of the cylindrical lower body portion376 to define a reduced diameter bore 408 sized to receive only theneedle 208 therethrough.

[0193] The cylindrical body 374 is preferably made from high densityplastic material, while the needle guide sleeve 394 and piston 388 arepreferably made of stainless steel. The O-rings 398, 400 and 404 are allconventional and made from standard elastomeric materials. The needle208 is preferably made of stainless steel, with or without a reinforcedtitanium tip at the piercing and injecting end 368.

[0194] A stabilizing nipple 230 is sealingly secured to the lowermostend of the cylindrical lower body portion 376 by a snap fitting 410 overcylindrical flange 412 of the lower body portion 376. The lower edge 414of the stabilizing nipple 230 is preferably rounded and sized to presenta reduced ring area for contact with the egg. More specifically, thediameter of the circular lower edge 414 is preferably less than ½ inch,and a ⅜ inch outer diameter is most preferred. It has been found thatthis smaller diameter contact surface area results in a proper injectionlocation within the egg irrespective of the size and tilt orientation ofthe egg in the incubating tray 168. The central opening 416 of thenipple 230 through which the needle 208 extends during egg penetrationand injecting also has a small internal seal ring 418 which sealsagainst the outer surface of the needle 208. When the needle 208 islifted to its retracted position, with the needle tip 368 in opening416, the internal seal ring 418 serves to wipe the outer wall surface ofthe needle 308. Hence, the internal seal ring 418 cleans the needle 208during its upstroke both after egg injection and after injectorsanitization. This wiping of the needle 208 after the injectorsanitization causes the sanitizing fluid to be wiped clean from theneedles and to drop into the collecting pan 310 before initiation of thenext injecting cycle, thus eliminating the dripping of sanitizingsolution onto the next group of eggs to be injected. The stabilizingnipple 230 is made from any suitable elastomeric material, and siliconerubber is preferred in view of its inert properties.

[0195] The needle guide sleeve 394 has an axial bore 420 for receivingthe needle 208. The male fitting 362 at the upper end 360 of the needle208 is received in a complementary fitting clip 422 at the upper end ofthe needle guide sleeve 394 so that the needle 208, sleeve 394 andpiston 388 all move together. It is understood that a threaded or othertype fitting could be used to accomplish this purpose. The axial bore420 in the needle guide sleeve 394 is minimally larger than the outsidediameter of the needle 208, thereby providing lateral support to theneedle during penetration of the egg shell. This diameter differentialalso allows removal and replacement of the needle 208 from the top ofthe injector 204.

[0196] When the injector support plate 200 is lowered by air cylinders186 into position over the incubating tray 168, two things happen.First, the lower edge contact ring 414 of nipple 230 engages and seatsaround the uppermost part of the egg. Because the ring 414 presents areduced surface contact area, each nipple 230 adjusts to the position ofits respective egg as the injectors 204 on plate 200 descend, regardlessof the orientation of the eggs in the tray 168. This allows the nipples230 to make complete contact around their perimeter at the upper end ofthe eggs. Second, each injector 204 adjusts vertically to the height ofthe egg by virtue of the free vertical movement of the injector 204 inthe openings 202. Since the injectors 204 can move independently of oneanother, the injectors rise to different heights so that different sizesof eggs can be accommodated within the same tray.168. Further, becausethe design of the conventional incubating tray dictates the center ofrotation for each egg within the egg flat depression, the stabilizingnipple 230 functions to align the egg with respect to the needle 208regardless of the orientation of the egg. Because of this alignment andalong with the simultaneous vertical adjustment of the injector 204, theneedle 208 will always extend substantially to the same location ordesired injecting region within the egg.

[0197] When the support plate 200 completes its downward travel, the airpressure through inlets 342 is activated to expand the gripper rings 212against the lower body portion 376 to hold the injectors 204 securely inposition in the holes 202. Thus, once the injectors 204 stop descendingwith the descending plate 200 to accommodate individual egg heights, thegripper rings 212 clamp the injectors 204 in place, preventing theinjectors 204 from lifting off from the eggs. Otherwise, the injectors204 could lift off from the eggs when the needles 208 make contactduring piercing of the egg shells.

[0198] Once the injectors 204 are locked in position in plate 200, theneedle assembly 206 with the piston 388 is activated by pressurized airfed to the upper side of chamber 382 through air connector 405, channel402 and port 386. The air delivery tubes are all as short as possibleand from opposed outlets deliver air to the chambers 382 at oppositeends of each row of injectors 204. All of the injectors 204 in the roware connected in series. This configuration evenly distributes linepressure and enables all the injection needle assemblies 206 to movedownwardly with the needles 208 extending substantially at the sametime. As the assemblies 206 move downwardly, the needles 208 extend outof the injectors 204 a predetermined distance and with sufficient forceto cause the beveled tip 368 of the needle to shear through the eggshell. The needle 208 continues through the opening in the egg shell tothe injecting location or region. The distance the needle tip 368 movesis determined by the stroke length of the piston 388 in the chamber 382.The needle assembly 206 bottoms out and the needle 208 reaches maximumextension, when the lower retaining ring 396 engages the top surface 397of the lower body component 376. As shown in FIG. 24, the needle 208 isclose to its fully extended position. When needle 208 is fully extended,vaccine is injected into the egg through the needle tip 368. Afterinjection, air pressure is applied to the underneath side of the piston388 through air inlet connector 403, channel 401 and port 384 to movethe needle assembly 206 upwardly, thus retracting the needle 208 backinto cylindrical bore 406 and needle tip 368 into opening 416. Theupstroke is completed when the upper retaining ring 396 engages the topwall 399 defining chamber 382, as shown in FIG. 23.

[0199] While the needle assemblies 206 move up, the gripper rings 212release and the plate 200 begins its move to the “up” position. As thesupport plate 200 moves upwardly, its top surface 392 engages ledges 390of the injector bodies 374 to lift the injectors 204 upwardly from theinjected eggs. When the support plate 200 reaches its “up” position, aproximity sensor in the pneumatic cylinders 186 senses the return of theplate 200 and signals the PLC to move the tray positioning assembly 280to push the incubating tray 168 forward to the area of the transfersection 132 and to activate the sanitizing assembly 300.

[0200] Next, one vaccine delivery assembly 240 will be described indetail by reference to FIGS. 25-28. This vaccine delivery assembly 240includes a diaphragm or heart-type pump, generally designated byreference numeral 242, for pumping the vaccine to the injection needles208 and a vaccine distribution manifold, generally designated byreference numeral 260, which is made up of a plurality of individualmanifold modules 270. There are preferably two delivery assemblies 240which are positioned above the injectors 204, adjacent each longitudinaledge of the injection assembly 131. Each delivery assembly 240 issupported underneath the outer extremities of the yoke of the U-shapedsupport members 210 (see FIG. 5), and each feeds the half of theinjectors 204 on its side of the injection assembly 131. Hence, if theinjection assembly 131 includes 132 injectors, each delivery assembly240 simultaneously feeds 66 injectors.

[0201] A fluid delivery tube extends downwardly from the bottom of thevaccine delivery bag to feed the diaphragm or heart-like pumps 242 ofthe vaccine delivery assemblies 240 through inlet barb fitting 264. Inthe preferred configuration, i.e. two vaccine delivery assemblies 240,the fluid delivery tube splits into two feeder lines one to each pump242. The vaccine is delivered by gravity flow from the vaccine deliverybag by the gravity pressure exerted as a result of the bag height abovethe pump 242.

[0202] Each diaphragm or heart pump 242 is formed by a pair of matingbody members 424 and 426 which define a generally cylindrical valvechamber 428. Centrally positioned within the valve chamber 428 is acircular flexible membrane 430 which is captured around its periphery432 between the mating body members 424 and 426. The flexible membrane430 divides the valve chamber 428 into a vaccine chamber 434 and an airpressure chamber 436. Formed in the upper end of body member 424 is afluid inlet opening 438 and formed in the lower portion of body member424 is a fluid outlet opening 440. A floating ball valve 442 is fittedinto inlet opening 438 and inlet fitting 264 is fitted into the inletside of the ball valve 442. A central air port 444 is formed in bodymember 426 to deliver air pressure centrally to flexible membrane 430within the valve chamber 428.

[0203] As shown in FIG. 25, the vaccine enters the pump 242 through theinlet fitting 264. With no pressure in air pressure chamber 436, thefloating ball valve 442 permits the vaccine to enter the vaccine chamber434. Once the vaccine chamber 434 is full, the ball valve 442 closes offthe inlet fitting 264. No further fluid enters the chamber 434 and thevalve prevents fluid from escaping out of the inlet 264. At this point,air is forced into the air pressure chamber 436 through port 444. Thisin turn drives the central portion of the membrane 430 into the vaccinechamber (to the left in FIG. 25) and forces the vaccine out through theoutlet port 440 and into the manifold assembly 260 under pressure.

[0204] The manifold assembly 260 comprises a plurality of vaccinemanifold modules 262 shown positioned in side-by-side relation to thepump outlet 440 in FIG. 25. Each of the manifold modules 262 suppliesone-half of each row of injectors 204 in the injection assembly 131.Each module 262 is connected to the upper end 360 of its respectiveneedles 208 by way of split tubing connected to the outlet barb fitting266 at the lower end of the module 262. At the other end, the vaccineenters the vaccine delivery port 446 directly from the pump vaccineoutlet 440. When placed in series, the modules 262 making up themanifold assembly 260 form an elongated vaccine delivery port 446extending from the pump outlet 440 to the outermost module 262. Thevaccine delivery port 446 is preferably about ½ inch in diameter. Theport 446 in each module 262 communicates with a vertical vaccinedelivery pathway 448 which extends down through the manifold module 262,terminating in the outlet barb fitting 266.

[0205] Each manifold module 262 is made up of two body components, avaccine body component 450 and an air pressure body component 452 whichfit snugly together to form valve opening 454, as shown in FIG. 26. Thevalve opening 454 is fitted with a conical flexible valve element 456clamped between opposed faces of the vaccine body component 450 and airpressure body component 452 around the valve opening 454 to form thepneumatic valve 457.

[0206] The pneumatic valves 457 and the flow of vaccine down thevertical path 448 is controlled by air pressure transmitted through anair delivery port 458 which laterally extends through each air pressurebody component 452. Hence, when the modules 262 are positionedside-by-side, the adjacent air pressure body components 452 are alignedto form the air delivery port 458 extending the full length of themanifold assembly 260, in a manner similar to the vaccine delivery port446. The vaccine body component 450 includes a frustoconical opening 460which crosses over the vertical vaccine flow path 448, and the flexiblevalve element 456 sits in the opening 460. The concave side of the valveelement 456 communicates with the air pressure delivery port 458 througha side port 462 extending laterally through the air pressure bodycomponent 452. When air pressure is applied to the air delivery port458, the valve element 456 is forced against the opening 460, the valve457 closes, and the flow of vaccine down the path 448 is prevented.

[0207] Holes 464 are drilled laterally through each module 262 forholding the vaccine body component 450 and air pressure body component452 in position with respect to each other for each module 262 and forconnecting the modules in series. Rods (not shown) run through theseholes 464 to connect the vaccine manifold modules 262 together and topump 242 and then securely to mount the overall delivery assembly to theU-shaped supports 210.

[0208] When installed on the injection assembly 131, the assembledvaccine delivery assembly 240 is tilted so that the manifold assembly260, and particularly the longitudinal vaccine delivery port 446, istilted approximately 1°-2°, or more off the horizontal in the directionof raising the vaccine delivery port 446 of the outermost module 262above the delivery port 446 in the innermost module 262 and the adjacentoutlet port 440 of the diaphragm pump 242. This allows any air which maybuild up in the delivery port 446 to migrate to the outermost module262, where it can periodically be bled off by the operator through anappropriate bleed-off valve of conventional configuration (not shown).

[0209] In operation, the vaccine delivery port 446 and pathways 448 tothe valves 457 are filled with vaccine. When air is removed from theheart pump air pressure chamber 436 through port 444, flexible pumpmembrane 430 moves to expand the vaccine chamber 434 (to the right inFIG. 25). This expansion causes vaccine to be drawn into the vaccinechamber 434 through inlet 264 past floating ball valve 442. When thevaccine chamber 434 is filled, the valve 442 closes off the inlet 264.Air pressure into the air pressure chamber 436 through port 444 causesthe flexible pump membrane 430 to reduce the vaccine chamber volume andforce one full vaccine dose for all injectors out of the pump outlet 440into the delivery port 446 and then into the vertical paths 448 of eachmodule 262. The pressure in the vaccine path caused by the movement ofthe pump membrane 430 causes the vaccine to move past the pneumaticvalve 457, out the barbed fitting 266 and into each needle 208 forinjection into the respective eggs. The preferred air pressure impartedto the air pressure chamber 436 is about 3 psi to about 5 psi. Once aproper amount of vaccine has been injected, air pressure deliveredthrough port 462 causes the valve 456 to close by pressing against thefrustoconical surface of valve opening 460. The vaccine delivery system240 is then ready to begin its next cycle by reducing the air pressurein the air pressure chamber 436 of the diaphragm pump 242.

[0210] An alternate embodiment of the vaccine delivery assembly isschematically shown in FIGS. 29 through 33 and is generally designatedby reference numeral 500. The assembly 500 is a high precision vaccinedelivery system and includes a valve distribution manifold, generallydesignated by reference numeral 502. The manifold 502 has a forwardlyextending ledge 504 having a series of vaccine delivery ports 506extending from a lower surface thereof and an upstanding rear section508 which defines an elongated vaccine delivery chamber 510 that extendssubstantially the entire length of the manifold 502. Mounted on theupper side of the forwardly extending ledge 504 is a pneumatic valvereceiving plate 512 which holds a series of pneumatic valve elements 514in position in respective valve chambers 516 defined by the mating lowersurface 513 of the pneumatic valve receiving plate 512 and upper surface505 of the forwardly extending ledge 504 to form a series of pneumaticvalves, generally designated by reference number 517. Mounted above thepneumatic valve receiving plate 512 is an elongated high pressure airmanifold 518 which defines an elongated high pressure air chamber 520.The chamber 520 communicates with the upper surface of each of therespective pneumatic valve elements 514 through respective holes 522 inthe pneumatic valve receiving plate 512.

[0211] The vaccine delivery chamber 510 communicates with each of thevaccine delivery ports 506 through a respective vaccine passageway 524which flows through manifold valve chamber 516 and past the pneumaticvalve 517 in each vaccine passageway 524. Appropriate tubing is attachedfrom each of the vaccine delivery ports 506 to the tops of each of theneedles 208, there being preferably one delivery port 506 for eachneedle. Hence, the twenty vaccine delivery ports 506 shown in FIGS.29-31, are for illustration purposes only. With two fluid deliveryassemblies 500 incorporated into a machine designed to inject 132 eggsat one time, each assembly 500 would have 66 delivery ports 506. Whenthe high pressure air chamber 520 is pressurized, the pneumatic valveelements 514 are pressed against the frustoconical shaped bottom wall515 (see FIG. 32) of the manifold valve chamber 516, which prevents anyvaccine flow from the vaccine delivery chamber 510 out of vaccinedelivery ports 506. The pressurized pressure in the high pressurechamber 520 is preferably between about 25 psi and about 75 psi and mostpreferably about 50 psi. Further, it will be seen that there areseparate valve elements 514 illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31. As analternative to individual valve elements 514, it may be possible toutilize a single flexible membrane which when assembled between matingsurfaces 513 and 512 and pressurized by the high pressure air chamber520, will close off the pneumatic valves 517.

[0212] Mounted behind the back wall 526 of the upstanding rear section508 is a low pressure air manifold 528 which extends the full length ofthe upstanding rear section 508. The low pressure air manifold 528defines an elongated low pressure air chamber 530 which generally alignswith the elongated vaccine delivery chamber 510 in the upstanding rearsection 508. The front surface 532 of the low pressure air manifold 528includes an elongated opening 534 leading to the low pressure airchamber 530. The back wall or rear surface 526 of the upstanding rearsection 508 includes an elongated opening 536 which corresponds in sizeand shape to the elongated opening 534 in the front of the lowerpressure air manifold 528. Sandwiched between the front surface 532 ofthe low pressure air manifold 528 and the rear surface 526 of theupstanding rear section 508 is an elastomeric diaphragm 538 whichsealingly separates the low pressure air chamber 530 from the vaccinedelivery chamber 510. The front surface 532 of the lower pressure airmanifold 528 includes a projecting upper ledge 540 and a projectinglower ledge 542 along its upper and lower edges to mate with the backwall 526 of the upstanding rear section 508 for attachment theretothrough holes 544 while at the same time sandwiching the elastomericdiaphragm 538 in position between the horizontally adjacent low pressureair chamber 530 and vaccine delivery chamber 510.

[0213] When the low pressure air chamber 530 is pressurized, theelastomeric diaphragm 538 is forced toward the vaccine delivery chamber510. If the vaccine delivery chamber 510 is full of fluid or vaccine,this force causes a hydraulic pressure build-up, or head pressure in thevaccine delivery chamber 510 and vaccine passageways 524. A preferredpressure for pressurizing the low pressure air chamber 530 is about 1.0psi to about 3.5 psi and most preferably about 2.5 psi. Then, if thepressure in the high pressure air chamber 520 (about 25-75 psi) isremoved, the pneumatic valve elements 514 can be displaced and thepneumatic valves 517 open. A high precision quantity of vaccine is thenforced through the manifold valve chamber 516 (past valve elements 514)and out through vaccine delivery ports 506, thus delivering a precisequantity of vaccine to each of the respective needles 208 for injectioninto the eggs.

[0214] The inlet end of the distribution manifold 502 has an extension546 which includes a vaccine inlet and defines the upper section of avaccine receiving valve, generally designated by reference numeral 548.The lower section 550 of the vaccine receiving valve 548 is attached tothe underneath surface of the extension 546 and sandwiches a pneumaticvalve 552 therebetween. When pneumatic pressure is applied to theunderneath surface of the pneumatic valve 552 through opening 553 inlower section 550, the upper surface of the valve 552 is pressed againstthe mating frustoconical surface inside extension 546 and preventsvaccine or other fluid from flowing through the inlet of the receivingvalve 548 into the vaccine delivery chamber 510.

[0215] Mounted on the opposite end of the distribution manifold 502 fromthe vaccine receiving valve 548 is a vaccine purging valve 554. Thevaccine delivery assembly 500 is tilted at a slight angle from thehorizontal so that the vaccine purging valve 554 is mounted above and influid communication with the highest elevation of the vaccine deliverychamber 510. The vaccine purging valve 554 includes an upper housing 556which sandwiches a pneumatic valve 558 in a corresponding opening in theupper surface of the distribution upstanding rear section 508. Thepneumatic valve 558 is normally pressurized to a closed position withits frustoconical lower surface engaging the opposed mating surface inthe upstanding rear section 508 by pneumatic pressure fed through thevaccine purging valve upper section 556. When the operator desires topurge any air accumulation in the vaccine delivery chamber 510, whichwill accumulate adjacent the pneumatic valve 558 due to the tilting ofthe manifold 502, the vaccine purging valve 554 is activated to releasepneumatic pressure against the pneumatic valve 558 and allow air andvaccine to exit through purging port 560.

[0216] As described previously, the vaccine delivery assembly 500 ispreferably tilted approximately 1°-2°, or more, off horizontal, with thevaccine delivery chamber 510 adjacent the vaccine receiving valve 548positioned below the portion of the chamber 510 adjacent the vaccinepurging valve 554. As well, the high precision vaccine delivery assembly500 is mounted in the injection assembly 131 in the same location asvaccine delivery assembly 240, i.e. supported underneath the outerextremities of the yoke portion of the U-shaped supports 210.

[0217] In normal operation, the vaccine purging valve 554 is closed. Atthe beginning of the injection cycle, all of the pneumatic valves 514are in their closed position by pneumatic pressure imposed against theirupper surfaces by air pressure in the high pressure air chamber 520through holes 522, thus preventing any flow of vaccine from the vaccinedelivery chamber 510 through passages 524 into ports 506. There is noexcess pressure in the low pressure chamber 530, thus allowing theelastomeric diaphragm 538 to be positioned in an “at rest” verticalposition, as shown in FIG. 35, but there may be residual head pressurein vaccine chamber 510. The vaccine receiving valve 548 is then openedthrough pneumatic valve 552 which opens the inlet in extension 546 andallows vaccine to fill the vaccine delivery chamber by gravity flow fromthe bag storage container. When the vaccine chamber 510 is full, thereceiving valve 548 is pneumatically operated to a closed position inorder to isolate the vaccine manifold 502 from the external pressureproduced by gravity of the vaccine in the bag storage container. Oncethe injection needles have pierced the egg shells, air pressure isimposed on the low pressure air chamber 530 thus pressurizing theelastomeric diaphragm 538 to increase the head pressure in the vaccinedelivery chamber 510 and manifold 502. No fluid yet flows because thepneumatic valves 517 remain closed due to the high pressure in the airchamber 520. The vaccine delivery valves 517 are then simultaneouslyreleased for a predetermined amount of time which delivers a preciseadjustable volume of vaccine through the valve chambers 516 and deliveryports 506, through needles 208 and into each respective egg cavity.

[0218] It will be seen by those skilled in the art that the highprecision vaccine delivery system 500 in accordance with the presentinvention is able to create a predetermined hydraulic pressure in thevaccine chamber and manifold in advance of fluid delivery past thepneumatic valves 517. Then, when opening each individual vaccinedelivery valve 517 for a specified amount of time, a precise volume ofvaccine can be delivered out of each delivery port 506, which volume canbe adjusted by changing the length of time the valve 517 is open.Further, the high precision vaccine delivery assembly 500 and all of itsfunctions are operated pneumatically, thus eliminating the pumping ofvaccines through conventional vaccine handling systems which otherwisecause damaging friction and turbulence within the vaccine. Thus, fewlive cells are destroyed in the delivery of vaccine through deliveryassembly 500, ensuring that an effective quantity of vaccine titerreaches each injected egg.

[0219] If desired, the pneumatic delivery valves 517, vaccine receivingvalve 548 and vaccine purging valve 554 could be operated electronicallyor electrically, rather than pneumatically. In such event, individualdelivery valves 517 could be operated independently as determined by thePLC of the machine. Further, even if a single membrane is substitutedfor the multiple valve elements 514, the individual valves 517 couldstill be operated independently.

[0220] While the high precision vaccine delivery assembly describedherein and illustrated in FIGS. 29-33 was specially designed anddeveloped for inclusion in the injection machine and method of thepresent invention, the vaccine delivery assembly 500 could be built as aseparate unit. As such, it could have other applications where highprecision fluid delivery of simultaneous multiple dosages is desired,other than for egg injection machines and the like. For example, thehigh precision vaccine delivery system of the present invention couldhave application in medical and biotechnology research where specifichigh precision dosages are delivered in multiple operationssimultaneously at one time. Accordingly, it is contemplated that thehigh precision vaccine delivery system of the present invention beadapted as an independent apparatus for usages outside egg injectingmachines.

[0221] An alternate preferred embodiment of the fluid delivery assemblyin accordance with the present invention is schematically shown in FIGS.48 through 50 and is generally designated by reference numeral 900. Theassembly 900 is another high precision vaccine delivery system (HPVDS)which has been found to be even more accurate and versatile than thepreviously described HPVDS 500. The HPVDS 900 includes an elongated mainbody section or valve body, generally designated by reference numeral902, and front and back low pressure/vacuum manifold and high pressuremanifold, generally designated by reference numerals 904 and 906,respectively, which are mating side cutouts 905 and 907 secured into invalve body 902. A top cover, generally designated by reference numeral908, is matingly secured to the top of the valve body 902. The valvebody 902, manifolds 904 and 906 and top cover 908 are all preferablymade of an inert polymer material, such as acetal homopolymer (Delran®,manufactured by DuPont), PVC or the like or stainless steel or othersuitable material. The manifolds 904 and 906 and top cover 908 aretightly secured in place to the valve body 902 by any suitable fasteningelements, such as machine screws (not shown) in holes 909, or the like,or even bonded together by glue or the like.

[0222] Cut into the top of the valve body 902 is an elongated vaccinedistribution cavity 910 which mates with a similar cutout 912 in theunderneath side of the top cover 908 to form a vaccine reservoir 911.Also cut around the vaccine distribution cavity 910 in the top of thevalve body 902 is an O-ring groove 914 which receives O-ring 916 to sealoff the vaccine distribution reservoir 911 between the top of the valvebody 902 and the bottom of the top cover 908. Any suitable seal ring orsealing mechanism could be used or substituted for the O-ring 916 andO-ring groove 914.

[0223] Extending downwardly from the bottom of the vaccine distributioncavity are a series of individual vaccine feed passageways 918 whichcontinue vertically through the valve body 902 and terminate in vaccinedelivery ports 920. The individual vaccine feed passageways 918 arepreferably equally spaced along the length of the vaccine distributioncavity 910. As shown in FIG. 50, the delivery ports 920 are molded orformed integrally with the main valve body 902 so that the valve ports920 form a continuation of the vaccine feed passageways 918. As such,the outlet barb fittings, such as fittings 266 in the earlierdistribution manifold disclosed herein at FIGS. 25-28, and also used inthe prior art, can be eliminated. These outlet barb fittings can be anarea for bacteria collection and growth, which is eliminated by thisHPVDS embodiment 900.

[0224] A partially spherical cutout 922 is formed in the valve body 902along each of the individual vaccine feed passageways 918, preferablyabout midway. The cutouts 922 divide passageways 918 into an upperportion 923 and a lower portion 925. Positioned over the series ofpartially spherical cutouts 922 is an elongated flexible diaphragm 924which, together with each partially spherical cutout 922, forms avaccine dosage chamber (or liquid pressure chamber) 926 for eachindividual vaccine feed passageway 918 between the upper and lowerportions 923, 925 thereof. The flexible diaphragm 924 is preferably madeof silicone or other suitable elastomeric material.

[0225] The flexible diaphragm 924 is held in place against wall 928 incutout 905 of the valve body 902 by the mating wall 930 of the lowpressure/vacuum manifold 904. Also formed in wall 930 are a series ofpartially spherical cutouts 932 which mate with spherical cutouts 922,but are separated therefrom by the diaphragm 924. The partiallyspherical cutouts 932 are preferably smaller than the partiallyspherical cutouts 922 and form pneumatic pressure chambers. The lowpressure/vacuum manifold 904 includes a longitudinally extending lowpressure/vacuum channel 934 which communicates with each partiallyspherical cutout 932 through passageway 936, and has one end connectedto the pneumatic/vacuum system of the machine. When a vacuum is pulledin the low pressure/vacuum channel, the portion of the flexiblediaphragm 924 adjacent the partially spherical cutout 932 is pulledagainst the cutout 932, thus enlarging the vaccine dosage chamber 926.Conversely, when the channel 934 is pressurized, the portion of thediaphragm 924 opposite spherical cutouts 922 is forced against thecutouts 922.

[0226] On the other side and mating with cutout 907 of the valve body902 is the high pressure manifold 906. Cut into the face 940 of thecutout 907, and aligned with the upper and lower portions 923, 925,respectively, of each individual vaccine feed passageway 918 are aseries of frustoconical upper high pressure valve chambers 942 andfrustoconical lower high pressure valve chambers 944. Seated in each ofthe upper and lower high pressure valve chambers are pneumatic conevalve elements 946 and 948, respectively, which form pneumatic conevalves 947 and 949, respectively. The cylindrical outer surface ofpneumatic cone valve elements 946 and 948 are also received in circularcutouts 950 and 952, respectively, on the inside wall 954 of the highpressure manifold 906. Associated with each pneumatic cone valve 947 isan upper high pressure channel 956 connected to each upper high pressurevalve chamber 942 by passageway 958. Similarly, lower high pressurechannel 960 is associated with pneumatic cone valves 949 and connectedto lower high pressure valve chambers 944 through passageways 962. Asshown in FIG. 50, the side walls of cone valve elements 946 and 948 arespaced away from the side walls of valve chambers 942 and 944 when notpressurized and in a relaxed state.

[0227] A vaccine receiving opening 962, preferably on one end of thedistribution manifold, is connected to the vaccine delivery bag orstorage container by hose connections or other suitable tubing to allowvaccine to flow into the vaccine distribution reservoir 911 by operationof the manifold assembly. A vaccine purging valve (not shown), similarin operation to valve 554 shown in FIGS. 29-31, is connected to opening964 in the top cover 908 and preferably mounted on the machine frame. Aswith the HPVDS 500, the HPVDS 900 is tilted at a slight angle from thehorizontal so that the vaccine purging valve is mounted above and influid communication with the highest elevation of the vaccinedistribution cavity 910. The HPVDS 900 is also preferably tiltedapproximately 1°-2° or more, off the horizontal. The HPVDS 900 is alsomounted in the injection assembly 131 in the same location as vaccinedelivery assemblies 940 and 500.

[0228] At the start of each vaccine injection cycle, the HPVDS 900,including vaccine distribution reservoir 911 and tubing to the injectionneedles, is filled with vaccine. The upper and lower pneumatic conevalves 947 and 949 are closed by high pressure in channels 956 and 962forcing the valve elements 946 and 948 against the frustoconicalsurfaces of the high pressure valve chambers 942 and 944. The vaccinedosage chamber 926 is empty of vaccine dispensed during the previousinjection cycle and the diaphragm 924 is pressurized against partialspherical walls 922. The upper pneumatic cone valves 947 are firstopened by releasing the high pressure in upper high pressure channel 956and passageways 958. Next, a vacuum is drawn in the low pressure/vacuumchannel 934 and associated passageways 936 to move the associatedportions of diaphragm 924 from partial spherical walls 922 and intoengagement with partial spherical walls 932. This movement of thediaphragm 924 causes a vacuum and fixed quantity of vaccine to flow intothe vaccine dosage chambers 926. The spherical cutouts 922 and 932,along with the portion of the diaphragm 924 therebetween, are sized sothat the volume of vaccine drawn into the dosage chambers 926 is theprecise volume of vaccine to be injected into each egg.

[0229] Once the vaccine dosage chambers 926 are filled with vaccine, theupper high pressure valves 947 are closed by introducing high pressureinto upper high pressure channel 956, which causes the pneumatic conevalve 947 to close. The lower high pressure valves 949 can then beopened by releasing the pressure in lower high pressure channel 960 toallow pneumatic cone valve elements 948 to move away from frustoconicalsurfaces 944.

[0230] With the lower high pressure valves 949 opened, low pressure isintroduced into low pressure/vacuum channel 944. This pressure causesthe associated portions of diaphragm 924 to move toward partialspherical surfaces 922 and discharge the vaccine dosages in chambers 926downward through the lower portion 925 of vaccine feed passageways 918and out vaccine delivery ports 920. This vaccine discharge istransmitted down the line causing a high precision dosage of vaccine toexit each injection needle 208. The lower high pressure valves 943 arethen closed, and the HPVDS 900 is ready for the next injection cycle.

[0231] It will be noted that the HPVDS 900 functions differently fromHPVDS 500. While the volume of vaccine liquid delivered by HPVDS 500 canbe adjusted by changing the length of time the valve 517 is open, theHPVDS 900 delivers a precise volume of vaccine liquid out of each needle208 as determined by the volume of the vaccine dosage chamber 926. It isbeen found that the prescribed volume of vaccine liquid exiting out ofHPVDS 900 through delivery port 920 to the injection needles 208 fordelivery to each egg is highly consistent from delivery port to deliveryport during each injection cycle and from the same delivery port duringrepeated cycles over extended periods of operation, thus ensuring aconsistent vaccine volume injection with little or no variation duringextended operation of the HPVDS 900 and the overall injection machine.

[0232] Typically, the pressure in the upper and lower high pressurechannels 956 and 960 is about 25-75 PSI. The preferred vacuum in lowpressure/vacuum channel 934 to fill vaccine dosage chamber 926 is about14 to 28 inches of mercury, and most preferably about 17-22 inches ofmercury. The pressure in the low pressure/vacuum channel 934 todischarge the fixed precise vaccine liquid volume from the dosagechamber 926 is about 7 PSIG to about 25 PSIG and most preferably about14 PSIG.

[0233] Similar to HPVDS 500, HPVDS 900 and all of its functions areoperated pneumatically, thus eliminating the pumping of vaccines throughconventional vaccine handling systems which otherwise cause damagingfriction and turbulence within the vaccine. Thus, few live cells aredestroyed in the delivery of vaccine through HPVDS 900, thus ensuringthat an effective quantity of vaccine titer reaches each injected egg.

[0234] The valves associated with each vaccine feed passageway 918 couldbe operated electronically or electrically, rather than pneumatically.Also, such valves, whether operated pneumatically, electronically orelectrically, could be operated individually so that each passageway 918is operated independently from the other passageway 918.

[0235] The HPVDS 900 can perform all of the functions and operationsdescribed previously for the HPVDS 500. In addition, due to the designand operation of the HPVDS 900, it can be operated in reverse tosimultaneously draw precise volumes of liquid from multiple receptaclesinto the manifold assembly through parts 920. Once in the feedpassageways 918, the withdrawn liquid can be pumped to the reservoir 911by repeated operation of the upper and lower pneumatic cone valves 947and 949, respectively, together with the vacuum forming and pumpingoperation of flexible diaphragm 924. Once in the reservoir 911,continued withdrawal will cause the liquid in the reservoir 911 to exitthe manifold through opening 926 to a storage container or the like. Thewithdrawn liquid can then be redeposited by the manifold assembly 900simultaneously to other individual receptacles or containers, eitherimmediately or after a determined period of storage.

[0236] When operating in reverse mode, tubing or other withdrawingcomponent is attached to each delivery port 920. The lower high pressurevalves 949 are open and upper high pressure valves 947 closed. Theoperation to withdraw a single dosage from multiple receptacles andredeposit the withdrawn dosages to other receptacles will now bedescribed. A vacuum is introduced into low pressure/vacuum channel 934which will cause a vacuum to be formed in the vaccine dosage chambers926. This vacuum will draw a precise volume of air or fluid up into eachvaccine dosage chamber 926 causing a volume of liquid to be drawn intothe outward end of the tubing or other withdrawing component. When a lowpressure is then introduced into the low pressure/vacuum channel 934,the fluid volume in dosage chamber 926 is expelled down the lowerportion of feed passageway 918, to thus release the withdrawn liquiddosages from the tube or other connection.

[0237] If larger quantities of liquid are to be withdrawn by themanifold assembly 900, for redepositing in other containers or forstorage, the manifold 900 can be operated in reverse for repeatedcycles. After the vacuum is formed in the vaccine dosage chambers 926and unit volumes of liquid are drawn into the outer outward ends of thetubing or other withdrawing component, the lower high pressure valves949 are closed and the upper high pressure valves 947 are opened. Theflexible diaphragm 924 is operated by a low pressure in channel 934which will expel the fluid from the vaccine dosage chambers 926, throughthe upper portion 923 of the vaccine passageway 918 and into reservoir911. Multiple repetitions of this cycle will cause precise volumes ofliquid to be drawn into the vaccine dosage chamber 926 and, from there,into reservoir 911 and out opening 962 to a storage container or thelike, depending upon the amount of liquid withdrawn. Once withdrawn, themanifold 900 can be operated in its normal delivery mode to deliveryprecise quantities of the withdrawn liquid to other receptacles orcontainers.

[0238] The operation of the upper and lower pneumatic cone valves 947and 949 and the flexible diaphragm 924 is the same whether the manifold900 is operating to deliver vaccine in its normal operation or withdrawliquid in its reverse operation. The only change is the sequence of theoperative steps, which can be readily altered by changing the computerprogram controlling the manifold assembly, and without otherwise havingto alter the structure or components of the manifold assembly.

[0239] As described previously, the apparatus and method of the presentinvention further includes transfer section 132 for transferring theeggs following injection from the incubating tray 168 into the hatchingor receiving tray 169. While the transfer section 132 is an integralpart of the injecting machine apparatus and method of the presentinvention, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that thetransfer section can be constructed as a separate and independentmachine for transferring injected eggs from an incubating tray or eggflat into a hatching or receiving tray. Typical stand alone transfermachines are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,794 and 5,247,903.Hence, it is contemplated that the transfer section 132 of the presentinvention can be an integral part of an overall injection and transfermachine or as a separate stand alone transfer machine.

[0240] Referring now to FIGS. 34-38, there is shown one embodiment ofthe transfer assembly 133 for transferring eggs from the incubating tray168 to the hatching tray 169. This is the embodiment shown generally inthe transfer section 132 in FIGS. 9 and 10. The transfer assembly 133 inthis embodiment includes a rectangular generally solid support plate 600which is positioned to move up and down with respect to the injectedeggs in the incubating tray 168. The support plate 600 supports a bankof suction cup assemblies, generally designated by reference numeral602, that align with each of the injected eggs in the tray 168. Thesuction cup assemblies are loosely received in circular openings 606 inthe support plate 600 such that the assemblies 602 are free to movevertically with respect to the support plate.

[0241] The operator initiates transfer by placing a hatching tray 169 onthe right side track 152 of the machine. The tray 169 is moved down thetrack 152 while the incubating tray 168 is moving down the left sidetrack 150. After the eggs in the tray 168 are injected, the tray 168 andinjected eggs move forward to the transfer section 132 under thetransfer assembly 133. Sensors 295 and 297 in the center guide 158 alongtrack 152 sense when the hatching tray 169 is in place in the transfersection 132 parallel to the incubating tray 168 with the injected eggs.The sensors signal the PLC to start the transfer sequence.

[0242] Each suction cup assembly 602 includes a generally annular body604, and a flexible suction cup 608 mounted on its lower end. Anoutwardly extending flange 610 around the top of the body 604 preventsthe assemblies 602 from moving downwardly out of the support plateopenings 606. The number and location of the assemblies 602 preferablycorrespond in number and location to the egg holding depressions 182 ineach incubating tray 168. This configuration allows the transfer of allof the eggs in a tray at one time.

[0243] The annular body 604 includes an open cylindrical center 612which generally algins with the injection or punctured hole 614 punchedin the egg 616. The hole 606 in the support plate 600 receiving theassembly 602 is only slightly larger than the diameter of the body 604thereby providing lateral support to the assembly 602 but allowing theassembly 602 to remain stationary in the vertical direction upon contactwith the injected egg 616 even as the support plate 600 continues itsdownward stroke. The inner surface of the hole 606 is preferably convexin order to allow the assembly 602 to tilt axially as necessary whenengaging the egg 616, as shown in FIG. 36. An air passageway 618 extendsthe length of the body 604 parallel to the open center 612 and includesan air outlet port 620 at its uppermost end. Appropriate pneumaticconnection and hose (not shown) are connected to the air outlet port 620to apply and release air suction to passageway 618 for operation of thesuction cup assembly 602. In operation of the transfer assembly 133, theair is sucked out from the air outlet port 620 to provide a suction orreduced pressure at the lower end of the body 604 and the suction cup608.

[0244] The suction cup 608 is also annular in configuration and is madeof a flexible plastic or elastomeric material. As shown in FIGS. 34, 37and 38, the suction cup 608 fits around the outside lower end of thebody 604 and includes an inwardly extending circular flange 622 on itsuppermost end which engages in a circular ring 624 on the lower outsidesurface of the annular body 604. The suction cup 608 includes an innertop surface 626 which engages and mates with the lowermost bottomsurface 628 of the body 604. Spaced inwardly of the suction cup innertop surface 626 is an upwardly extending flange 635 which engages groove637 on the inner top surface of the annular body 604 to complete thesealing of the upper annular end of the suction cup 608 to the annularlower end of the body 604.

[0245] The suction cup 608 also includes a center hole 632 which alignswith the opening 612 in the center of the annular body 602. Axiallyspaced from the center hole 632 are a series of vertical suction holes634 which connect to a circular groove 636 formed in the bottom endsurface 628 of body 604. The groove 636 is sealed by the inner topsurface 626 of the suction cup 608. There are preferably six verticalsuction holes 634, but more or less can be utilized as desired. Thelower end of the suction cup 608 tapers outwardly at its lower end to aflexible outer suction seal 638 which forms one circular seal with theouter shell surface of the egg 616 when the cup 608 is positioned on theegg. Facing inwardly on the bottom of the suction cup 608 is an innersuction seal 640 which forms a second circular seal against the outershell surface of the egg 616. The second circular seal formed by innerseal 640 is at a location spaced inwardly from and above the firstcircular seal formed by the outer seal 638. When positioned on the upperend of the egg 616, the lower end of the suction cup 608 and the firstand second circular seals form a circular vacuum ring 642 for liftingthe egg 616. Thus, when air is removed from air passageway 618 outthrough air outlet port 620 by a vacuum generator or other suctionforming pneumatic component (not shown), a vacuum or reduced pressure isformed in the circular vacuum ring 642 through the vertical holes 634and circular groove 636, which reduced pressure is sufficient to liftthe egg 616 with the suction cup assembly 602 when it is lifted upwardlyby support plate 600.

[0246] The inner suction seal 640 which forms the second circular sealfor the suction cup 608 with the egg 616 is spaced away from theinjection or punctured hole 614. Thus, the circular vacuum ring 642which lifts the egg 616 is spaced away from and surrounds the puncturedhole 614, and the portion of the egg 616 which includes the puncturedhole 614 is open through center hole 632 of the suction cup 608 andcylindrical hole 612 of the body 604. Hence, the punctured hole 614 isalways subject to atmospheric pressure even when suction or reducedpressure is applied to the circular vacuum rings 642 to lift the egg616. Accordingly, the suction cup assembly 602 is not causing anyreduced pressure to be created inside the egg 616 and, therefore, thepotential for cross-contamination is substantially reduced as thesuction cup assemblies are used repeatedly on many eggs during normaloperation of the machine. By creating the vacuum away from the puncturedhole of the eggshell, the problems associated with suction cups of theprior art machines are significantly reduced.

[0247] When the support plate 600 has raised the suction cup assemblies602 to their uppermost position with the injected eggs adhered to thesuction cups 608 through the reduced air pressure in the circular vacuumrings 642, the transfer assembly 133 is then in a position to movetransversely across the machine to a position over the hatching tray 169properly positioned in the left side track 152. This is accomplishedautomatically by activation of the transfer air cylinder 196 which movesthe transfer assembly 133 from above the incubating tray 168 to abovethe hatching tray 169. From this latter position, the support plate 600moves downwardly until the bottom of the eggs 616 engage the bottom ofthe hatching tray 169. Again, the suction cup assemblies 602 arepermitted to move upwardly within openings 606 of the support plate 600,as the support plate continues downwardly to complete its downwardstroke.

[0248] When the support plate 600 reaches its downward stroke, thesuction or reduced pressure in circular vacuum ring 642 is releasedthrough passageway 618 and air outlet port 620 thus releasing the eggs616 from sealed engagement with the bottom of the suction cups 608. Thesupport plate 600 then proceeds upwardly raising the suction cupassemblies 602 as the outward flanges 610 engage the upper surface ofthe support plate 600 surrounding the openings 604. After the supportplate 600 and suspended suction cup assemblies 602 reach their uppermostposition, the transverse pneumatic cylinder 196 returns the transferassembly 133 to its original position above the right side or incubatingtray track 150.

[0249]FIGS. 37 and 38 illustrates one suction gripping assembly 602 insealing vacuum engagement with one egg 616. FIG. 37 illustrates avertically straight or normal engagement with the egg. FIG. 38illustrates engagement with a skewed or tilted egg. In both examples,when engaging and sealing with the egg, the punctured hole 614 frominjection is aligned with the center opening 632 of the annular suctioncup 608 and the center opening 612 of the annular body 604. Hence, thepressure surrounding the punctured hole in the egg shell is alwaysmaintained at atmospheric levels, with the vacuum applied to the egg 616in a circular ring spaced away from the punctured hole.

[0250] A preferred embodiment for the support plate and suction cupassemblies of the transfer assembly 133 in accordance with the presentinvention is shown in FIGS. 39 and 40 and is generally designated byreference numeral 700. This embodiment is illustrated generally in FIG.6. In this embodiment, the assembly 700 includes a moving combinationsupport and air channel plate, generally designated by reference numeral702, somewhat similar to the injector support and holding plate 200. Thetransfer support plate 702 is made up of mating upper half plate 704 andlower half plate 706 which when sealed together form the transfersupport plate 702. The lower mating surface 708 of the upper half plate704 is machined out to form a raised lower surface 710. Spacers 712 areleft unmachined in surface 708 and the mating upper surface of 713 ofthe lower half plate 706 is smooth and unmachined. Hence, when the halfplates 704 and 706 are mated with the lower surface 708 engaged with theupper surface 713, the raised lower surface 710 forms a flat air chamber714 through the transfer support plate 702, with the spacers 712maintaining the height of the air chamber 714. A seal 715 is positionedin peripheral groove 717, also machined in the mating lower surface 708of the upper half plate 704, to seal off the air chamber 714. The halfplates 704 and 706 are adhered together by appropriate bolts orfasteners (not shown) through spaced holes 716 around the periphery ofthe half plates.

[0251] Positioned on top of the upper half plate 704 is a support plate719. The support plate 719 has two aligned through holes 721 to receivethe outer ends of the two piston rods of the tandem pneumatic cylinders196. The outer ends are fastened to half plates 704 and 706 byappropriate bolts or the like (not shown) through aligned holes 723,shown only in the upper half plate 704. The air flow chamber 714 isconnected to the vacuum generator, or other suction creating component,through holes 725 in upper half plate 704, which holes 725 are fittedwith connectors 727 with appropriate pneumatic hoses (not shown)connecting to the vacuum generator. The support plate 719 isappropriately secured by bolts or other suitable fasteners (not shown)to the upper half plate 704 through holes 725.

[0252] Machined through the lower half plate 706 are a series of throughholes 718 which interconnect with the chamber 714. The through holes 718are spaced so as to have one hole 718 aligned with each depression orinjected egg supported on the incubating tray 168 when positioned belowthe transfer support plate 702. Attached to each through hole 718 andsupported from the lower surface 720 of the lower half plate 706 are aseries of suction cup assemblies, generally designated by referencenumeral 722. As shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, there is one suction cupassembly 722 for each through hole 718 and, correspondingly, eachsuction cup assembly 722 is aligned with a corresponding depression of,or an injected egg supported by, the tray 168.

[0253] The details of the suction cup assembly 722 are illustrated inFIGS. 41-46. In this embodiment, the hard plastic annular body 604 isreplaced with a soft flexible vacuum bellows 724, which supports aslightly different flexible suction cup 726. Both the bellows 724 andthe suction cup 726 are made of a flexible plastic, rubber or otherelastomeric material and are designed so that the bellows 724 and theattached suction cup 726 can adjust to any size egg or egg tilt bycompressing against the egg. This compression procedure produces its ownvacuum or reduced pressure when the compressed bellows 724 is sealed atthe top. The suction cup 726 allows for approximately a one-half inchdiameter on top of the egg to be connected to atmospheric pressurethrough one or more lateral holes 728 located radially through theannular midsection 727 of the cup 726. The egg is picked up by thesuction cup 726 through a vacuum ring 730 caused by a series of verticalholes 732 evenly spaced around the suction cup 726. This permits thesuction cup 726 to pick up the egg that has been previously punctured onthe top surface without creating negative pressure inside the egg.

[0254] The bellows 724 has a solid cone-shaped member 734 at its top endwith a through bore 736 which accepts the hardware, generally designatedby reference numeral 737, for connection to the air holes 718 of thetransfer support plate 702. The connecting hardware 737 includes acylindrical bolt 738 which is received in and extends through thethrough bore 736 and has a central opening 740 which extendstherethrough. Mounted on the lower end of the bolt 738 is a securing cap742 which engages the lower surface 744 of the cone member 734. Threadedonto the bolt 728 adjacent its upper end is a nut 745 which engages theupper surface of the cone shaped member 734. By threading the nut 745 toreduce the distance between the nut 745 and the cap 742, the bolt 738 isrigidified within the through bore 736. The upper end of the bolt 738 isattached within the holes 718 by mating threads or other sealingconnection. Hence, the inside of bellows 724 is in air communicationwith air channels 714 of the support plate 702 and the pneumaticapparatus of the machine 100.

[0255] The suction cup 726 mounted on the lower end of bellows 724 isgenerally cylindrical and includes a top wall 746 and an upstandingcircular rim 748 which extends above wall 746. The upstanding circularrim 748 fits into the circular receiving curl 750 at the bottom ofbellows 724 to assemble the suction cup 726 at the lower end of thebellows 724, as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41. When assembled, the top wall746 of the vacuum cup 726 forms a lower wall of a vacuum chamber 752within the bellows 724.

[0256] The bottom of the suction cup 726 is similar to the bottom of thesuction cup 608 of the previously described embodiment 602 in that itincludes a tapering flexible circular seal 754 which forms an outer sealwith the outer shell surface of an egg 756 when the cup 726 ispositioned on the egg 756. Facing inwardly on the bottom of the suctioncup 726, below wall 746 is an inner seal 758 which seals the suction cup746 against the outer shell surface of the egg 756 at a location spacedaway from and above the outer seal 754 to form the circular vacuum ring730. Vertical holes 732 through the annular midsection 727 provide airflow communication between the circular vacuum ring 730 and the bellowvacuum chamber 752. Thus, as the support plate 702 descends in itsdownward stroke, and each suction cup 726 engages and seats on the upperouter surface of its aligned injected egg, the bellows 724 and bellowsvacuum chamber 752 contract. This contraction forces air out throughopening 740 in hollow rod 738, through plate air chamber 714 and outthrough the pneumatic system of the machine. When the support plate 702reaches the lowermost position of its downward stroke, the vacuumgenerator of the pneumatic system of the machine creates a negativepressure in chamber 714 and thus into the bellows 724. Further, as thesupport plate 702 begins its upward stroke, the vacuum bellows 724attempts to elongate creating a further vacuum or greater negativepressure in the bellows vacuum chamber 752 which is communicated to thesealed circular vacuum ring 730 through holes 732 thus holding the eggto the bottom of the suction cup 726 in a circular ring spaced away fromthe egg perforation. Meanwhile, the air space 760 above the inner seal758 and below the wall 746 is maintained at atmospheric pressure by thelateral holes 728 in the annular midsection.

[0257] Subsequently, when the support plate 702 and suction cupassemblies 722 have transferred the injected eggs to the hatching tray169, the closed off air to plate chamber 714 is opened, thus allowingair into the chamber 714, bellows vacuum chamber 752 and vacuum air ring730, which releases the vacuum on the egg shells and releases the eggs756 from suction cups 726. In the preferred embodiment, there are four{fraction (1/16)} diameter holes 732 spaced vertically around theannular midsection 727. These holes permit the suction cup 726 to pickup eggs 756 that have been previously perforated on the top surfacewithout creating negative pressure inside the egg. The annularmidsection 727 preferably has two radial holes 728 for maintainingatmospheric pressure in chamber 760 around the egg perforation.

[0258] A modified form of the hardware for connecting the suction cupassembly 722 to the air holes 718 of the transfer support plate 702 isshown in FIG. 47 and generally designated by reference numeral 800. Theconnecting hardware 800 includes a cylindrical bolt 802 which isreceived in and extends through the through bore 736 and has a centralopening which extends therethrough. The bolt 802 has an enlarged lowerend 804 which has a diameter larger than the through bore 736 so as toretain the bolt 802 in position against the lower surface of the coneshaped member 734. Threaded onto the bolt 802 adjacent its upper end isa circular spacer 806 which engages the upper surface of the cone shapedmember 734 and retains the bolt 802 properly positioned in through bore736. The top end 808 of bolt 802 has a smooth cylindrical surface and isfitted with a conventional elastomeric O-ring seal 810.

[0259] In this embodiment, the through holes or openings 718 in thelower half plate 706 have a smooth inner cylindrical surface which mateswith the smooth outer cylindrical surface of bolt top end 808. Whenassembled, the top surface 812 of spacer 806 also abuts the lowersurface 720 of the lower half plate 706. As such, the suction cupassembly 722 can be quickly connected into openings 718 with the O-ring810 forming the seal with the inner cylindrical surface of the opening718. Inasmuch as the suction cup assembly 722 is always under negativepressure through chamber 714 when lifting eggs, the negative pressureprevents the assembly 722 from pulling out of the opening 718.Otherwise, when not lifting eggs, the assembly 722 is sufficientlylightweight so as not to disconnect. The quick connecting anddisconnecting assembly of this embodiment allows for easier and fasterreplacement of each suction cup assembly 722 from the support plate 702for repair, replacement or the like.

[0260] While suction cup assemblies 602 and 722 are formed of two parts,it may be possible to form such assemblies of more parts or even asingle unitary structure, so long as the reduced pressure necessary togrip and pick up the egg is formed away from the punctured hole and thearea around the hole is maintained at atmospheric pressure so as not toimpose any negative pressure inside the egg.

[0261] The total time required for the injection and transfer cycle,from inserting a filled incubating tray and empty hatching tray in placeto removing the empty incubating tray and filled hatching tray from therear of the machinery, is about 10 seconds and can be as short as 6-7seconds. It is estimated that with the apparatus and method of thepresent invention one trained operator can inject over 50,000 eggs perhour, if the trays are off-loaded onto a conveyor at the back of themachine, or with two trained operators if the back end of the machine isoff-loaded by hand. In the latter case, the machine provides a balancedsystem for the operators; each handles one full and one empty eggflat/hatching tray during each machine cycle. This system alsofacilitates timing between operators.

[0262] The integrated operation of the pneumatic cylinders, fiber opticsensors and their electronic controls will now be described. Each of thepneumatic air cylinders used in connection with the present inventionincorporate a conventional magnetic or proximity sensor to signal theexternal end of each stroke. As the piston (not shown) moves up and downor forward and reverse, the magnetic sensor signals the position of thepiston to the electronic controller (computer) located in the controlpanel. The controller compares the actual piston position with set pointor program and sends an electronic signal to a servo pneumatic valve,this allows the computer to verify each position before it sends theelectronic signal to a servo pneumatic valve to go to the next step.

[0263] There are seven fiber optic sensors located in the paralleltracks 150 and 152 where the incubating trays and hatching trays movethrough the machine, as previously described. The sensors are directlyconnected to the electronic controller (computer) and they are locatedat precise positions along the track to indicate if the incubating trayor hatching tray is in its correct position before the process ofinjection or transfer can proceed.

[0264] Five pneumatic air cylinders activate each of five dead stopslocated at precise positions along the parallel tracks 150 and 152,three on the incubating tray track 150 and two on the hatching traytrack 152. The cylinders and dead stops are located in the center guide158. The dead stops are activated by servo pneumatic valves controlledby the electronic controller (computer). The dead stops 292, 294 and 299allow for a precise longitudinal positioning of the incubating tray andhatching tray in their respective parallel tracks.

[0265] Four short pneumatic air cylinders 164 and 166 are also locatedon the right side of the machine, preferably outside of the moving guiderail 156 of the incubating tray track 150. Two of the cylinders supportthe injection section moving rail 156 and two support the transfersection moving rail 156. These cylinders are actuated to full stroke andlow pressure by the servo pneumatic valve controlled by the computer.They locate and hold the incubating tray straight and against the fixedguide rail 154 during the injection sequence and the transfer sequence.

[0266] Two rod-less pneumatic air cylinders 282 are associated with thepusher assemblies 280, one each in the center of the right side track150 and the left side track 152. Servo pneumatic valves controlled bythe computer activate these cylinders. The one on the right side trackoperates in two steps. The first step is to insure that the incubatingtray is positioned firmly against the stop 292. Second, once theinjection sequence is complete and the stop 292 has been pneumaticallyremoved, the right side cylinder gently pushes the egg tray to thetransfer section of the machine against stop 294. The second or leftside cylinder pushes the hatching tray to the transfer section of themachine against stop 299 and alongside the incubating tray.

[0267] At the injection section 130 of the machine there are twopneumatic cylinders 186 located vertically and in fixed channel bridge184. The cylinders hold and move the egg injection assembly 131 up anddown. They operate to full stroke and are controlled by a servopneumatic valve which, in turn, is controlled by the computer. At thetransfer section 132 of the machine, there are also two pneumaticcylinders 194 located vertically and in movable channel bridge 188,which hold and activate the transfer assembly 133. They operate to fullstroke during the egg pick up operation and they operate to a partialstroke controlled by a magnetic sensor signaling the computer during thecompletion or depositing of the eggs into the hatching tray.

[0268] Finally, there is one pneumatic rod-less cylinder 196 located inthe front cross member 118 of the transfer section 132 of the machine.This cylinder 196 operates to full stroke and it carries the transferassembly 133 sideways to transfer the eggs from above the incubatingtray to above the hatching tray. It is controlled by end of strokesensors sending signals to the computer.

[0269] As the machine touch screen 146 alerts the operator that themachine is ready to start operation, the first stop 270 at the entry ofthe right hand track 150 is retracted and the second stop 292 in theright hand track is activated. This allows the operator to load theincubator tray onto the incubator (right side) track. The pusherassembly 280 and the rod-less pneumatic air cylinder 282 insure that thetray is against the stop 292. The two fiber optic sensors 268 and 269,one in front and one in the rear, verify the location and the twopneumatic clamping air cylinders 164 insure that the tray is straightagainst the fixed inside rail 154. These operations guarantee therepeatability of location of all incubator trays by pushing against twofixed axes.

[0270] Once this positioning operation is completed and verified, theinjecting sequence starts by activating the two pneumatically operatedcylinders 186, which lower the injection assembly 131 over the eggslocated in the incubating tray. Each injector 204 descends over anindividual egg, self-adjusting to the egg's size. Once the sensor ofcylinders 186 has verified to the computer the end of the stroke, thecomputer signals the servo pneumatic valve, and the gripper supportplate 200 is pressurized, firmly and individually holding each injector204 over its respective egg. After a fraction of a second the computersignals a servo pneumatic valve to pressurize the injectors, forcing theneedles 208 to pierce the eggs. The high precision vaccine deliverysystem is activated and the vaccine is delivered. The needles areretracted, the gripper support plate is depressurized, and the pneumaticcylinders 186 lift the support plate carrying up the injectors 204 toits full up-stroke.

[0271] Once the computer has verified the completion of the up stroke,the computer once again signals the servo pneumatic valve that operatesthe injectors 204 and all needles 208 are exposed for disinfectionpurposes. The injection section rear stop 292 is retracted, the rear ortransfer section stop 294 is simultaneously activated, the pneumaticclamping cylinders 164 of the injection section retract the moving guiderail 156, and the rod-less pneumatic air cylinder 282 is activated tocause the pusher assembly 280 to push the incubator tray to the rear ofthe machine or transfer section against the transfer section stop 294.The front and rear fiber optic sensors 271 and 273 of the transfersection verify the position of the tray, and the second set of pneumaticclamping cylinders 166 is operated to clamp the tray in the transfersection.

[0272] The operator should load the hatching tray on the parallel leftside track 152 right after loading the incubator tray on the right sidetrack 150. The hatching tray is pushed to the transfer section of themachine against a pneumatic stop 295 at the rear of the machine. Thefront and rear fiber optic sensors 295 and 297 located in the transfersection on the hatching tray track 152 verify the position of the tray.Once the hatching tray is in place, the transfer sequence may begin. Amoving guide rail 156 for clamping the hatching tray in its track 152 isnot necessary and preferably one is not included in the machine.

[0273] Once the signal has been received by the computer that a hatchingtray is in place, the computer immediately signals a servo pneumaticvalve activating two pneumatic cylinders 194 to lower to a full bottomstroke the transfer assembly 133 with the associated suction cupassemblies. The computer simultaneously turns on the vacuum generatorand upon a minimal dwell at the bottom of stroke the eggs are picked up.The vacuum generator gauge signals the computer that it has reached thedesired reduced pressure, the computer signals a servo pneumatic valveand the cylinders 194 lift the transfer assembly upwardly with the eggsattached to the suction cups and out of the incubator tray. As thecylinders 194 reach the top of their stroke, the sensor signals thecomputer to send a signal to a servo pneumatic valve to activate therod-less cylinder 196 to move the transfer assembly mounted on linearbearing rails 190 across to the hatching tray track 152. Once the sensordetects the end of stroke, it signals the computer to lower the transferassembly with the eggs into the hatching tray. The computer isprogrammed to recognize a mid-stroke sensor and signal the vacuumgenerator to reverse, gently releasing all eggs. The computer isprogrammed to reverse this operation and return the transfer supportplate back to the home position over the incubator tray track.

[0274] The injection section 130 and the transfer section 132 are alsointegrated together in the overall operation of the machine 100. Morespecifically, the transfer assembly 133 will not operate if there is nohatching tray in place on the hatching tray track 152 in the transfersection 132. In order for the transfer assembly 133 to be ready foroperation, the fiber optic sensors 295 and 297 in left side track 152must have sensed that the tray positioning assembly 280 of the hatchingtray track 152 has pushed the hatching tray into its proper longitudinalposition against stop 299. Further, stop 294 prevents the next hatchingtray to be loaded from being pushed into the transfer section 132 untilsensors 295 and 297 sense that the filled hatching tray in the transfersection 132 has been removed from the back of the machine.

[0275] The apparatus of the present invention as described hereinprovides a method for simultaneously injecting at one time all of theeggs necessary to fill one hatching tray and at a predetermined locationwithin the eggs. The method of the present invention is applicable toany bird egg, and particularly those which are commercially reared formeat or egg production. Any substance may be efficiently and preciselyinjected into the egg, including without limitation antimicrobials suchas antibiotics, bactericides, sulfonamides; vitamins; enzymes;nutrients; organic salts; hormones; adjuvants; immune stimulators;vaccines and the like.

[0276] The scope of the method of the present invention extends toimmunization against all immunizable avian diseases, whether of viral,bacterial or other microbial origin. Birds which are reared in highdensity brooder houses, such as broiler and layer chickens, areespecially vulnerable to infectious agents and would largely benefitfrom pre-hatch vaccination. Examples of such, without limitation, areMarek's disease, infectious bronchitis, infectious bursal, Newcastledisease, adenovirus diseases, reovirus, pox, laryngotracheitis,influenza, infectious coryza, fowl typhoid and fowl cholera. Vaccinatingavian embryos potentially increases hatchability and livability duringgrow-out.

[0277] The present invention has many advantages, including providing anegg injection assembly 130 comprising a series of vertically movableinjectors 204, each designed to position itself in relation to an egg sothat the injection location within the egg is precise and consistent andall eggs are injected at one time. Since the injectors 204 arevertically adjustable, and the contact area of the stabilizing nipple230 is relatively small, the injectors can individually adjust tovarying heights and orientation of each individual egg in the incubatingtray. This is desirable because eggs can assume different axes ofrotation within depressions in the conventional egg flats. Hence, therelationship defined by the seated position of the stabilizing nipple230 against the egg can position the extended needle at a predeterminedlocation within the egg with respect to the center of rotation of theegg. Since the center of rotation of the egg remains relatively fixedwith respect to the contact surface of the nipple 230, the injectorconfiguration ensures that the needles always extend to what issubstantially the same injection region with respect to the center ofrotation of the egg irrespective of any egg tilt. Thus, a plurality ofeggs can be consistently injected at a desired location, bothhorizontally and vertically, regardless of individual differences in eggsize and orientation.

[0278] The needle design of the present invention also allows for eggshell penetration without a separate punch or drill. The needle tip issturdy enough to penetrate thousands of egg shells, and the relativelylarge size of the hole diameter and the shape of the needle tip assuresthat clogging with egg shell is avoided.

[0279] The vaccine delivery assemblies of the present invention movevaccines through the machine under low internal line pressure withoutpumping and with a minimum of friction and turbulence. The vaccine isinjected out of the needles rapidly and with a very high controllableprecision. Moreover, due to the low internal line pressure, hydraulicshear is minimized and cell integrity maximized. This is desirable sincevaccine efficiency is dose-related and depends on cell integrity invaccines, such as for Marek's disease. Thus, the apparatus of thepresent invention is particularly useful in vaccine delivery since theapparatus will destroy fewer cells in the delivery process and thereforea higher actual vaccine titer will be delivered to the egg.

[0280] The apparatus and method of the present invention also offer avery sanitary injection environment. All of the structural components ofthe machine are sealed and welded together; there are no cracks orcrevices. The control panel 144 is preferably pressurized to keep outairborne contaminants. This sanitary environment minimizes the potentialfor cross-contamination of eggs. Moreover, the sanitization system isdesigned to be independent of the injection system thereby eliminatingcongested tubing. The positioning of the spray nozzles behind the pusherto traverse the injection section as the incubating tray with theinjected eggs is simultaneously moved to the transfer section insurescomplete, uniform coverage of the sanitization fluid on all portions ofthe injectors which touch the eggs during the injection process whilealso saving time in the machine cycle. The sanitization spray directlyimpinges all sides of the exposed needles, the outside of the injectorsbelow the support plate 200 and the underneath side of the support plateitself.

[0281] Further, egg transfer of the injected eggs from the incubatingtrays to the hatching trays in accordance with the present invention isa significant improvement over the known egg transfer machines usingvacuum cups. The vacuum cups potentially provide an easy path forcross-contamination of the eggs. In the present invention, after the eggis injected, the penetration hole in the egg is maintained atatmospheric pressure, thus ensuring that the egg interior is notsubjected to a reduced pressure. This is accomplished by the specialdesign of the vacuum cup assembly of the present invention by which theegg shell is subjected to vacuum pressure in a vacuum ring around thepenetration hole and not over the hole. Thus, a possible path for crosscontamination is eliminated. Moreover, the vacuum cup assembly of thepresent invention is easily cleaned in a few minutes, as opposed to thevacuum cups and manifolds of other machines which must be disassembledand placed in an aerated chemical bath for more than 30 minutes.

[0282] The apparatus of the present invention also produces a markedincrease in productivity. The simplicity of the parallel machine tracks,horizontally moving transfer assembly and the egg handling paths reducelabor. One operator can perform all necessary operations, whereas theknown technology requires two operators who have to continuouslycoordinate their tasks carefully for smooth and efficient operation. Thepresent invention also allows feeding the incubating tray right from thehatchery without switching to another tray or feeding one egg flat at atime on a moving conveyor. The present method frees the operator toperform other tasks after he has loaded the filled incubating tray intothe machine. Outputs are greater than with double the labor on thecurrent commercial machine. The apparatus of the present invention isalso simple in construction, this resulting in easier cleaning and adecrease in manufacturing and operating costs over known machines andmethods.

[0283] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown an described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for delivering a predeterminedvolume of liquid to a plurality of delivery sites, which comprises: abody defining a liquid pressure chamber and a pneumatic pressurechamber, said chambers separated by a flexible member; a plurality ofliquid channels in said body connecting said liquid pressure chamber toa plurality of delivery ports to deliver liquid to said delivery sites;a plurality of valves associated with said liquid channels, each channelhaving at least one valve; said flexible member exerting pressure on aliquid when said liquid pressure chamber is filled with said liquid andpneumatic pressure is exerted on said flexible member through saidpneumatic pressure chamber; and a prescribed volume of liquid isdelivered through said channels to and out of said delivery ports whensaid valves are opened.
 2. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 1,wherein said body includes a heart-type valve pump and a fluid deliverymanifold with an elongated port communicating with said plurality ofliquid channels.
 3. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 2,wherein said fluid delivery manifold comprises a plurality of manifoldmodules assembled in side-by-side relation.
 4. The delivery apparatus asrecited in claim 1, wherein said liquid pressure chamber and saidpneumatic pressure chamber are elongated chambers with mating elongatedopenings separated by said flexible member, and said plurality of liquidchannels are connected directly to said liquid pressure chamber througha manifold which also includes said plurality of delivery ports.
 5. Thedelivery apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said pneumaticpressure chamber is a low pressure chamber, said plurality of deliveryvalves are pneumatic valves, and a second pneumatic pressure chamberexerts a high pressure on said delivery valves to maintain said deliveryvalves in a closed condition except when delivering liquid through saidliquid channels to said delivery ports.
 6. The delivery apparatus asrecited in claim 5, wherein the volume of liquid delivered to saiddelivery ports is controlled by the amount of time the pneumaticdelivery valves are opened by release of high pressure from the highpressure pneumatic chamber.
 7. The delivery apparatus as recited inclaim 5, wherein said low pressure pneumatic pressure chamber exerts ahead pressure on said liquid in said liquid pressure chamber when airpressure is exerted in said low pressure chamber to cause liquid to flowthrough said liquid channels when said high pressure is released fromsaid pneumatic delivery valves.
 8. The delivery apparatus as recited inclaim 1, wherein said delivery ports are formed integrally with saidbody and said liquid channels are continuous in said body to an outletof said delivery ports.
 9. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 1,and further comprising a pair of valves in each liquid channel, one oneach side of said liquid pressure chamber, and said prescribed volume ofliquid is delivered through said channels to and out of said deliveryports when one said valve is closed and the other said valve is opened.10. The fluid delivery apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein saidapparatus is reversible for delivering a prescribed volume of liquid outof said delivery ports and for withdrawing a prescribed volume of liquidinto said delivery ports.
 11. An apparatus for delivering apredetermined volume of liquid to a plurality of delivery sites, whichcomprises: a body defining a plurality of liquid channels each connectedto a separate delivery port; fluid dosage chambers associated with eachliquid channel and having a specified volume to measure a prescribedvolume of liquid to be delivered out of each delivery port, said volumeof liquid determined by said specified fluid dosage chamber volume; saidliquid channels each having a first valve in advance of said fluiddosage chamber to control liquid into said chamber when a vacuum isdrawn in said fluid dosage chamber; and said liquid channels each havinga second valve between said fluid dosage chamber and said delivery portto control liquid out of said fluid dosage chamber and to said deliveryport when pressure is applied to liquid in said fluid dosage chamber.12. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said bodydefines a reservoir connected to said liquid channels for deliveringliquid through said channels to said fluid dosage chamber when saidfirst valve is open.
 13. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 11,and further comprising a flexible diaphragm associated with said fluiddosage chambers which creates said vacuum to draw said prescribed volumeof liquid into said fluid dosage chamber when said first valve is openand creates said pressure on said prescribed volume of liquid in saidfluid dosage chamber when said second valve is open.
 14. The deliveryapparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said second valve is closedwhen said prescribed volume of liquid is drawn into said fluid dosagechamber and said first valve is closed when said prescribed volume ofliquid is pressured out of said fluid dosage chamber.
 15. The deliveryapparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said apparatus is reversibleto draw liquid out of multiple receptacles by drawing a vacuum in saidfluid dosage chambers when said second valves are open and said firstvalves are closed.
 16. The delivery apparatus as recited in claim 11,wherein said liquid channels are generally vertical and said firstvalves, said fluid dosage chambers and said second valves are spacedgenerally vertically in said body.
 17. The delivery apparatus as recitedin claim 11, wherein said apparatus is associated with an egg injectionmachine and delivers a prescribed volume of vaccine uniformly to aplurality of injection needles mounted in said machine, said liquidchannels each associated with a single needle, for injection into eggson said machine.
 18. A method for delivering a predetermined volume ofliquid to a plurality of delivery sites through a plurality of deliveryports at outer ends of corresponding liquid channels, said methodcomprising: drawing a prescribed volume of liquid into a plurality offluid dosage chambers each associated with a single liquid channel bycreating a vacuum in said fluid dosage chambers while a first valve ineach said liquid channel in advance of said fluid dosage chambers isopen and a second valve in each said liquid channel after said fluiddosage chamber is closed, said prescribed volume of liquid into saidfluid dosage chamber being determined by a volume of said fluid dosagechamber; closing said first valves and opening said second valves; anddelivering said prescribed volume of liquid from each said fluid dosagechambers toward said delivery ports by pressurizing said liquid volumein said fluid dosage chambers while said first valves are closed andsaid second valves are open.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18,wherein said vacuum and said pressure are created by a flexiblediaphragm moving in said fluid dosage chambers between a vacuum formingcondition and a pressure forming condition.
 20. The method as recited inclaim 18, wherein the method is reversible by drawing a vacuum in saidfluid dosage chambers when said first valves are closed and said secondvalves are open and creating said pressure in said fluid dosage chamberswhen said first valves are open and said second valves are closed.